Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । पापिष्ठ एष वै यातु योनिं तिर्यङ्निषेविताम् । कालं मुनिभिरुद्दिष्टः तिर्यग्योनिं प्रवेश्यताम्

Transliteration

yama uvāca | pāpiṣṭha eṣa vai yātu yoniṃ tiryaṅniṣevitām | kālaṃ munibhiruddiṣṭaḥ tiryagyoniṃ praveśyatām

Translation

Yama sprach: »Dieser, der allergrößte Sünder, soll wahrlich in einen Schoß gehen, den die Tiere bewohnen. Für die von den Weisen bestimmte Zeit trete er in eine tierische Geburt ein.«

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पापिष्ठः: most sinful
• पापिष्ठः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + इष्ठन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अतिशयवाचक-तमप्/इष्ठन् (superlative)

• एषः: this one
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• यातु: let him go
• यातु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• योनिम्: to a womb; birth
• योनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तिर्यक्-निषेविताम्: frequented by animals
• तिर्यक्-निषेविताम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिर्यक् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + निषेवित (सेव् धातु, क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of योनिम्)

• कालम्: for a period of time
• कालम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे (duration as object)

• मुनिभिः: by sages
• मुनिभिः: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• उद्दिष्टः: prescribed; indicated
• उद्दिष्टः: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्+दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (कालः) इति अन्वयः

• तिर्यक्-योनिम्: an animal-womb; animal birth
• तिर्यक्-योनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिर्यक् (प्रातिपदिक) + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रवेश्यताम्: let (him) be made to enter
• प्रवेश्यताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+विश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Yama

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yama’s attendants (kiṅkarāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama pronounces sentence: the sinner is led away from the court toward a dark womb-symbolic gateway, indicating entry into an animal birth for a fixed term set by sages.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Munis (sages)
• Tiryag-yoni (animal birth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When actions become extremely adharmic, the soul may be redirected from hellish correction into degrading rebirths that mirror its tendencies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the focus is Yama’s dharmic governance within the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse states a judicial outcome (entry into tiryag-yoni for a set period).