Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अमंगलस्तथा स्पृश्यो नानीतोऽयं चितानलः । इत्युक्तवंतं पितरं स दीनः प्रत्यभाषत

Transliteration

amaṃgalastathā spṛśyo nānīto'yaṃ citānalaḥ | ityuktavaṃtaṃ pitaraṃ sa dīnaḥ pratyabhāṣata

Translation

یہ منحوس ہے اور چھونے کے لائق نہیں؛ چتا کی یہ آگ یہاں نہ لائی جائے۔ باپ کی یہ بات سن کر بیٹا افسردہ ہو کر جواب دینے لگا۔

Word by Word

• अमङ्गलः: inauspicious
• अमङ्गलः: Karta (Predicative/Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Masculine Nominative Singular

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• स्पृश्यः: touchable (to be touched)
• स्पृश्यः: Karta (Predicative/Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्पृश्य (प्रातिपदिक; √स्पृश्-सम्भव)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्यय/य-प्रत्यय), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘touchable/fit to be touched’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• आनीतः: brought
• आनीतः: Karta (Predicate with implied ‘is’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + नी (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘brought’

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Demonstrative pronoun

• चितानलः: funeral fire
• चितानलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिता (प्रातिपदिक) + अनल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Masculine Nominative Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चितायाः अनलः)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण सूचक अव्यय (quotative)

• उक्तवन्तम्: the one who had said
• उक्तवन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्तवतु-प्रत्यय (perfect active participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘having said/one who said’

• पितरम्: father
• पितरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Masculine Accusative Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दीनः: distressed
• दीनः: Karta (Subject attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Masculine Nominative Singular

• प्रत्यभाषत: replied
• प्रत्यभाषत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + भाष् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

Speaker

Narrator (describing the exchange); direct speech attributed to the brāhmaṇa father

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The father forbids touching or bringing the pyre-fire, calling it inauspicious; the son, saddened, prepares to answer.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa father (implied)
• Son (Vijayadatta, implied)
• Citānala (cremation fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspicious living includes respecting boundaries of purity; some acts and objects are avoided to uphold dharma and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu region frames the narrative, but the verse itself emphasizes dharmic restraint rather than a particular shrine or bathing spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear injunction: the cremation fire is ‘amaṅgala’ and should not be touched or brought for one’s purpose.