Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

त्वयापि यद्वचः प्रोक्तमसत्यं स्यान्न तत्क्वचित् । तस्मादेष क्षयं पक्षं वृद्धिं पक्षं प्रयास्यति

Transliteration

tvayāpi yadvacaḥ proktamasatyaṃ syānna tatkvacit | tasmādeṣa kṣayaṃ pakṣaṃ vṛddhiṃ pakṣaṃ prayāsyati

Translation

你所说之言亦永不成虚。故此，他将经历半月亏减、半月盈长（月亏与月盈）。

Word by Word

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (also/even)

• यत्: which
• यत्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण (relative pronoun used adjectivally), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वचः: speech/word
• वचः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रोक्तम्: spoken/uttered
• प्रोक्तम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); वचः इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

• असत्यम्: untrue/false
• असत्यम्: विधेय (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); (भवति/स्यात्) इति क्रियायाः विधेय-विशेषणम्

• स्यात्: would be/might be
• स्यात्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: निपात (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• तत्: that (speech/statement)
• तत्: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्वचित्: ever/anywhere
• क्वचित्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), देश/काल-अर्थ (anywhere/ever)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: हेतु/अपादान (Reason/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; अपादानार्थे (ablative sense) ‘therefore/from that reason’

• एषः: this (one)
• एषः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्षयम्: waning/decline
• क्षयम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पक्षम्: fortnight/phase
• पक्षम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); क्षयम् इति विशेषणेन सह

• वृद्धिम्: increase/growth
• वृद्धिम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पक्षम्: fortnight/phase
• पक्षम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रयास्यति: will go/enter
• प्रयास्यति: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/dvijas (audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn pronouncement establishing the Moon’s cycle: a sage/authority speaks; the Moon is shown moving through a dark-to-bright arc, with pakṣa symbols (kṛṣṇa/śukla) and a calendrical wheel behind.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Dakṣa
• Candra
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa
• Śukla-pakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truth (satya) is upheld as a cosmic principle: even a curse-word, once spoken, is integrated into a balanced divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya narrative, but its focus is cosmological (the lunar cycle) rather than a named pilgrimage spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it explains the lunar cycle structure—waning and waxing fortnights—as a consequence of the episode.