Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

तस्माद्गच्छ गृहं शीघ्रं यावद्गात्रं न दह्यते । बन्धुभिस्तव शोकार्तैर्गृहीत्वा वांछितं धनम्

Transliteration

tasmādgaccha gṛhaṃ śīghraṃ yāvadgātraṃ na dahyate | bandhubhistava śokārtairgṛhītvā vāṃchitaṃ dhanam

Translation

پس تم جلد اپنے گھر جاؤ، اس سے پہلے کہ تمہارا جسم جلایا جائے؛ تمہارے غم زدہ رشتہ دار تمہاری مطلوبہ دولت اٹھا لیں گے۔

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative “therefore/from that”

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन — “go”

• गृहम्: home
• गृहम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative “home” (goal)

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative) — “quickly”

• यावत्: until/as long as
• यावत्: Avadharana (Limit/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/संबन्धबोधक)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/particle) — “as long as/until”

• गात्रम्: the body/limbs
• गात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular (subject of ‘दह्यते’)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधबोधक अव्यय (negation particle)

• दह्यते: is burned
• दह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः — “is burned”

• बन्धुभिः: by/with relatives
• बन्धुभिः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural “by/with relatives”

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — Genitive “your”

• शोकआर्तैः: grief-stricken
• शोकआर्तैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; तृतीया-बहुवचन विशेषणम् ‘बन्धुभिः’—“afflicted with grief” (शोकेन आर्ताः)

• गृहीत्वा: having taken
• गृहीत्वा: Purvakala (Absolutive/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु) → गृहीत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); “having taken”

• वाञ्छितम्: desired
• वाञ्छितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वाञ्छ् (धातु) → वाञ्छित (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — qualifying ‘धनम्’

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative singular (object of ‘गृहीत्वा’)

Speaker

Yama

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (dvijottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A messenger-like teacher urges a brāhmaṇa to hurry home; in the background, a cremation ground with rising smoke and relatives gathering possessions, conveying urgency and impermanence.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Brāhmaṇa (listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly attachments are fragile at death; one should prioritize dharma over wealth, which quickly passes to others.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is a moral reminder within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Indirectly references cremation and post-death handling of possessions, but no specific rite is prescribed.