Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

ततश्चारोहिणीं प्राप्य गोगजाश्वनृजन्मभाक् । श्रूयते श्रुतिशास्त्रेषु वेदेषु च परंतप

Transliteration

tataścārohiṇīṃ prāpya gogajāśvanṛjanmabhāk | śrūyate śrutiśāstreṣu vedeṣu ca paraṃtapa

Translation

Dann, den «aufsteigenden Weg» erlangend, nimmt er Geburten als Kuh, Elefant, Pferd und Mensch an — so wird es in der Śruti, in den Śāstras und in den Veden vernommen, o Bezwinger der Feinde.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/अपादान-वाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thereafter/from that)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आरोहिणीम्: (a female named) Ārohiṇī / one who ascends
• आरोहिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आरोहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• गोगजाश्वनृजन्मभाक्: one who partakes of births as cow, elephant, horse, and man
• गोगजाश्वनृजन्मभाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गो + गज + अश्व + नृ + जन्म + भाज् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √भज्/भाज् + क्विप्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-समासः—पूर्वभागे द्वन्द्वः (गो-गज-अश्व-नृ), उत्तरपदे तत्पुरुषः (…जन्म), क्विप्-प्रत्ययान्त (भाक् = भज् धातोः)

• श्रूयते: is heard / is stated
• श्रूयते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• श्रुतिशास्त्रेषु: in the śruti-texts
• श्रुतिशास्त्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/Source/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुतिशास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक: श्रुति + शास्त्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्रुतेः शास्त्रेषु)

• वेदेषु: in the Vedas
• वेदेषु: Adhikarana (Location/Source/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• परंतप: O scorcher of foes
• परंतप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परंतप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (परान् तपयति इति)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa (addressing a heroic listener, vocative: paraṃtapa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage cites śruti and veda as he describes the soul’s gradual ascent through noble animal births to human embodiment, suggesting restoration of dharmic capacity.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Śruti
• Śāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma can elevate a being through progressively higher births; scriptural tradition frames this as a moral impetus toward dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape that hosts these teachings; no single tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse appeals to Vedic/Śruti authority to validate the doctrine of karmic ascent.