Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । एकात्मजो हि विप्रोयं कर्मणा नष्टसंततिः । कथं सुखं प्रपद्येत विना पुत्रेण तादृशः

Transliteration

rājovāca | ekātmajo hi viproyaṃ karmaṇā naṣṭasaṃtatiḥ | kathaṃ sukhaṃ prapadyeta vinā putreṇa tādṛśaḥ

Translation

Nhà vua nói: “Vị Bà-la-môn này chỉ có một người con trai, nhưng do sức mạnh của nghiệp mà dòng dõi đã bị đoạn tuyệt. Không có con trai, người ấy làm sao đạt được an lạc?”

Word by Word

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• eka-ātma-jaḥ: only son
• eka-ātma-jaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √jan ‘to be born’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (एकस्य आत्मनः जातः)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेतु/निश्चयार्थक

• vipraḥ: brahmin
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ayam: this (one)
• ayam: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• karmaṇā: by (his) karma/deeds
• karmaṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• naṣṭa-saṃtatiḥ: one whose lineage is lost
• naṣṭa-saṃtatiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √naś ‘to perish’, भूतकृदन्त) + saṃtati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (नष्टा सा संततिः यस्य)

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नाव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• sukham: happiness
• sukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prapadyeta: could attain
• prapadyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√pad (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश अव्यय/पूर्वपद; वियोगार्थक (without)

• putreṇa: a son
• putreṇa: Sambandha (Accompaniment/वियोग-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘vinā’ योगे साधारणतः तृतीया

• tādṛśaḥ: such (a man)
• tādṛśaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Rājā (the King)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī / the assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in court questions sages/attendants about a brāhmaṇa whose only son is lost; the mood is grave, with gestures of inquiry and concern.

Characters & Entities

• Rājā
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Putra (son)
• Karma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly happiness and social continuity are portrayed as strongly tied to dharma and karma; suffering like loss of lineage is framed as karmic consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on karmic causality and household dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.