Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 109
Devanagari script
जनाः शतायुषः पंचभवंति न भवन्ति वा । अशीतिका विपद्यन्ते केचित्सप्ततिका नराः
Transliteration
janāḥ śatāyuṣaḥ paṃcabhavaṃti na bhavanti vā | aśītikā vipadyante kecitsaptatikā narāḥ
Translation
有人或可活到百岁——也许更久，也许未必；有人殒于八十，也有人甚至七十便逝。
Word by Word
janāḥpeople
janāḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootjana (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन
śata-āyuṣaḥhundred-lived (living 100 years)
śata-āyuṣaḥ:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootśata (प्रातिपदिक) + āyus (आयुस्, प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (śatam āyuḥ yeṣām = 'having a hundred-year lifespan')
pañcafive
pañca:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootpañca (अव्यय/संख्याशब्द)
Formसंख्यावाचक (numeral), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; 'five' (qualifies years understood)
bhavantibecome/are (live)
bhavanti:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootbhū (भू, धातु)
Formलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद
nanot
na:
Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
Formनिषेध-निपात
bhavantiare/become
bhavanti:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootbhū (भू, धातु)
Formलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन
vāor
vā:
Sambandha (Disjunction/विकल्प)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootvā (अव्यय)
Formविकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)
aśītikāḥthose of eighty (years)
aśītikāḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootaśīti (अशीति, प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'eighty-year-olds' (aśītika)
vipadyanteperish/meet misfortune
vipadyante:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvi-pad (वि + पद्, धातु)
Formलट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद
kecitsome
kecit:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootkim (किम्, प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रत्यय (indefinite pronoun)
saptatikāḥthose of seventy (years)
saptatikāḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsaptati (सप्तति, प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'seventy-year-olds'
narāḥmen
narāḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootnara (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन
Speaker
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A timeline-like procession of people at different ages—youth, middle age, elder—some abruptly falling, illustrating unpredictability of lifespan.
FAQs
Human lifespan is uncertain; therefore one should not postpone Dharma, devotion, or right living.
No Tīrtha is mentioned; the teaching is general.
None; the verse discusses variability of lifespan.