Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

क्रीडित्वा स यथाकामं स्वेच्छया शिवमन्दिरे । वेदवेदाङ्गतत्त्वज्ञो जायतेऽसौ शुभे कुले

Transliteration

krīḍitvā sa yathākāmaṃ svecchayā śivamandire | vedavedāṅgatattvajño jāyate'sau śubhe kule

Translation

Nachdem er nach Wunsch und freiem Willen im Tempel Śivas verweilt und sich erfreut hat, wird er in einer glückverheißenden Familie geboren, als Kenner der Wahrheit der Veden und Vedāṅgas.

Word by Word

• क्रीडित्वा: having sported
• क्रीडित्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); having played/sported

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यथा-कामम्: as desired, at will
• यथा-कामम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial)

• स्वेच्छया: by his own will
• स्वेच्छया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वेच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Instrumental (3rd), Singular

• शिव-मन्दिरे: in Śiva's temple
• शिव-मन्दिरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Locative, Singular

• वेद-वेदाङ्ग-तत्त्व-ज्ञः: knower of the truths of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas
• वेद-वेदाङ्ग-तत्त्व-ज्ञः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + वेदाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषणम् (qualifying असौ)

• जायते: is born, comes to be
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; Present indicative, 3rd person, Singular (Ātmanepada)

• असौ: that person, he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular (demonstrative pronoun)

• शुभे: auspicious, noble
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Locative, Singular; विशेषणम् (qualifying कुले)

• कुले: in a family/lineage
• कुले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-mandira at Revā-tīrtha (unnamed)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotee spending carefree time within a Śiva temple courtyard—music, conversation, gentle play—under the gaze of the liṅga; the future fruit shown symbolically as a child studying Vedas in a noble home.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śiva-mandira
• Veda
• Vedāṅga
• Kula (lineage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with Śiva’s sacred space is portrayed as generating puṇya that ripens into noble birth and higher spiritual-intellectual capacity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Śiva-mandira connected to the Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha narrative in Adhyāya 55.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Temple-based devotion/participation (implied) at Śiva’s shrine, leading to stated fruits (phala).