Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

एवं काले गतप्राये स विप्रो निधनं गतः । सा च वेश्या मृता काले ययौ कर्मार्जितां गतिम्

Transliteration

evaṃ kāle gataprāye sa vipro nidhanaṃ gataḥ | sā ca veśyā mṛtā kāle yayau karmārjitāṃ gatim

Translation

So geschah es: Als seine bestimmte Zeit nahezu verstrichen war, fand jener Brāhmane sein Ende. Und zur rechten Stunde starb auch die Kurtisane; ein jeder erreichte das Geschick, das er durch eigene Taten erworben hatte.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘एवं/thus’

• काले: in time
• काले: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — ‘काले/in time’

• गतप्राये: when (time) was nearly over
• गतप्राये: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त) + प्राय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: ‘गतः प्रायः’ = ‘almost gone/near its end’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — सर्वनाम

• विप्रः: the brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• निधनम्: death
• निधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• गतः: went/attained
• गतः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियार्थे ‘गतः’ = ‘went/attained’

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coordination particle)

• वेश्या: the courtesan
• वेश्या: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेश्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• मृता: died
• मृता: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु) → मृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियार्थे ‘मृता’ = ‘died’

• काले: in time
• काले: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कर्मार्जिताम्: earned by (her) actions
• कर्मार्जिताम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्जित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘कर्मणा अर्जिता’ = ‘earned by deeds’

• गतिम्: state/destination
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm, didactic tableau: the brāhmaṇa and the courtesan at their final moments, with Kāla as an unseen presence; subtle depiction of two diverging paths symbolizing karmic destinies.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Death comes in its time, and beings attain outcomes shaped by their own karma—no one escapes the moral law of actions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a karmic framing within the Brahmottara narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is doctrinal and narrative, emphasizing karmic consequence rather than a rite.