Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

यदेतया पूर्वभवे नान्नदानादिकं कृतम् । क्षुत्पिपासादिभिः क्लेशैस्तस्मादिह निपीड्यते

Transliteration

yadetayā pūrvabhave nānnadānādikaṃ kṛtam | kṣutpipāsādibhiḥ kleśaistasmādiha nipīḍyate

Translation

পূর্বজন্মে সে অন্নদান প্রভৃতি দান করেনি বলেই, এই জন্মে ক্ষুধা‑তৃষ্ণা ইত্যাদি ক্লেশে সে পীড়িত হয়।

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• etayā: by her / through this (woman)
• etayā: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-निर्देश

• pūrvabhave: in a former birth
• pūrvabhave: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrvabhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण; समासः—पूर्वः + भवः (पूर्वजन्म)

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

• annadāna-ādikam: food-giving and the like (charities)
• annadāna-ādikam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: annadāna + ādika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मपद; समासः—अन्नस्य दानम् (annadāna) + ādika (etc.)

• kṛtam: was done
• kṛtam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘कृतम्’ = ‘done’

• kṣut-pipāsā-ādibhiḥ: by hunger, thirst, and the like
• kṣut-pipāsā-ādibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣut + pipāsā + ādika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (समाहार/समूह), तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण; समासः—क्षुत् + पिपासा (द्वन्द्व) + ādibhiḥ (etc.)

• kleśaiḥ: by afflictions
• kleśaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kleśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण

• tasmāt: therefore / from that (cause)
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अपादान/हेतु (‘therefore/from that’)

• iha: here (in this life)
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• nipīḍyate: is oppressed / is tormented
• nipīḍyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + pīḍ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is oppressed’

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within Brahmottara Khaṇḍa; likely Sūta-style narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A suffering woman tormented by hunger and thirst, contrasted with a prior-life scene of refusing food-gifts; dharma personified as a witness, karma as an unseen ledger.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of charity—especially anna-dāna—ripens as embodied suffering; dharma expressed as giving protects one’s wellbeing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it teaches general karma-phala within the Brahmottara narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Anna-dāna (donation of food) and allied forms of dāna are implied as dharmic duties.