Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इत्युक्तवंतं तं राजा परिरभ्य पुनःपुनः । उवाच धर्मराट् पुत्रमानंदाश्रुः सगद्गदम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ityuktavaṃtaṃ taṃ rājā parirabhya punaḥpunaḥ | uvāca dharmarāṭ putramānaṃdāśruḥ sagadgadam

Translation

Sūta nói: Nghe nói vậy, nhà vua ôm chầm lấy chàng hết lần này đến lần khác. Rồi Dharmarāja cất lời với người con, giọng nghẹn lại vì hoan hỷ, nước mắt phúc lạc tuôn rơi.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक-अव्ययम् (quotative particle)

• uktavantam: the one who had spoken
• uktavantam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ukta-vat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √vac)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.); क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्तः (past active participle)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.)

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.)

• parirabhya: having embraced
• parirabhya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pari-√rabh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-अव्ययम् (again)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-अव्ययम् (again)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• dharma-rāṭ: the king of righteousness (Dharmarāṭ)
• dharma-rāṭ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + rāṭ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dharmasya rāṭ)

• putram: to the son / the son (as addressed)
• putram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.)

• ānanda-aśruḥ: with tears of joy
• ānanda-aśruḥ: Karta (Predicate/appositive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda (प्रातिपदिक) + aśru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ānandasya aśru)

• sa-gadgadam: stammeringly; with a choked voice
• sa-gadgadam: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + gadgada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः; अव्ययपूर्वपदसमासः, क्रियाविशेषणम् (in a stammering manner)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), explicitly stated

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king (Dharmarāja) embraces a devoted son repeatedly; courtiers witness; tears glisten; the atmosphere is reverent and tender.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Haidambi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is not dry law; it is lived with tenderness—recognizing virtue with heartfelt affection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a narrative transition marked by Sūta’s framing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes an embrace and an emotional response within the dialogue.