Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

सोऽब्रवीच्छीतलो वह्निर्यदि स्यादुष्णगुः शशी । तन्मे स्यादन्यथा वाक्यं व्याहृतं प्रपितामह

Transliteration

so'bravīcchītalo vahniryadi syāduṣṇaguḥ śaśī | tanme syādanyathā vākyaṃ vyāhṛtaṃ prapitāmaha

Translation

اس نے عرض کیا: اے پرپِتامہ! اگر آگ ٹھنڈی ہو جائے اور چاند گرمی دینے لگے، تب ہی میرا کہا ہوا کلام خلاف ہو سکتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘said’

• शीतलः: cool
• शीतलः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शीतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (qualifying वह्निः)

• वह्निः: fire
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तवाचक-अव्यय (conditional particle ‘if’)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Potential/Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘would be’

• उष्णगुः: heat-giving / hot
• उष्णगुः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उष्णगु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (qualifying शशी)

• शशी: the moon
• शशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• तत्: then that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (then/that)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूप; here षष्ठी (of me) or चतुर्थी (to me) by context; ‘my’

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘would be’

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (otherwise)

• वाक्यम्: statement
• वाक्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• व्याहृतम्: uttered
• व्याहृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-आ-√हृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘uttered/spoken’

• प्रपितामह: O great-grandfather
• प्रपितामह: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative singular

Speaker

Rākṣasa (unnamed; addressed Brahmā as Prapitāmaha)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā (Prapitāmaha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A being addresses Brahmā (‘Prapitāmaha’) with fearless certainty; behind them, symbolic contrasts—cool flames and a radiant moon—appear as impossible omens underscoring the claim.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthful speech is portrayed as firm as cosmic order—so steady that it would change only if nature itself reversed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is part of the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s local tīrtha narrative; the line itself emphasizes ethical certainty rather than naming a distinct bathing-place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is an assertion about the reliability of one’s spoken word.