Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

तस्मान्नानृतमात्मानं करिष्ये जीविताशया । आज्ञापयतु मामार्या यास्ये यत्र मृगाधिपः

Transliteration

tasmānnānṛtamātmānaṃ kariṣye jīvitāśayā | ājñāpayatu māmāryā yāsye yatra mṛgādhipaḥ

Translation

Vì thế, dẫu còn mong được sống, ta cũng không tự biến mình thành kẻ nói dối. Xin bậc phu nhân cao quý truyền lệnh—ta sẽ đi đến nơi chúa tể muông thú (hổ) đang ở.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• अनृतम्: untruth
• अनृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आत्मानम्: myself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• करिष्ये: I shall make/do
• करिष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• जीविताशया: with hope of life
• जीविताशया: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित + आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतौ/साधने (with the hope of life)

• आज्ञापयतु: let (her) command
• आज्ञापयतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ज्ञा + णिच् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आर्या: the noble lady
• आर्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यास्ये: I shall go
• यास्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Desha (Location/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• मृगाधिपः: the lord of beasts (lion)
• मृगाधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Kapilā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame) / Arbuda-pradeśa (sectional locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kapilā’s companions / noble lady addressed as ‘āryā’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kapilā, resolute and calm, declares she will not speak untruth even to save her life, and prepares to go toward the tiger’s lair; companions watch in anxious reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā
• Tiger (mṛgādhipa/vyāghra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Satya is treated as a supreme vow—kept even when self-preservation argues otherwise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda setting remains implicit; the verse spotlights dharma (satya) rather than describing a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a resolve to uphold truth and proceed to face the tiger.