Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

राज्ञ्युवाच । त्रिकालज्ञोऽसि राजेन्द्र प्रसादाद्गिरिजापतेः । मत्पूर्वजन्मचरितं वक्तुमर्हसि तत्त्वतः

Transliteration

rājñyuvāca | trikālajño'si rājendra prasādādgirijāpateḥ | matpūrvajanmacaritaṃ vaktumarhasi tattvataḥ

Translation

Die Königin sprach: „O König, durch die Gnade des Herrn der Girijā (Śiva) kennst du die drei Zeiten. So berichte mir wahrhaftig die Geschichte meiner früheren Geburt.“

Word by Word

• rājñī: the queen
• rājñī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājñī (राज्ञी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• trikālajñaḥ: knower of the three times
• trikālajñaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + kāla + jña (त्रि + काल + ज्ञ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: त्रिकालं जानाति); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• asi: you are
• asi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• rājendra: O king of kings
• rājendra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan + indra (राजन् + इन्द्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (descriptive: राज्ञां इन्द्रः); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• prasādāt: by the grace (from the favor)
• prasādāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prasāda (प्रसाद प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी (5th case/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• girijāpateḥ: of Girijā’s lord (Śiva)
• girijāpateḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: girijā + pati (गिरिजा + पति प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: गिरिजायाः पतिः); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (6th case/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• mat: my
• mat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-एकवचन-रूप (Genitive singular stem-form used in compound: ‘my’)

• pūrvajanmacaritam: the account of (my) previous birth
• pūrvajanmacaritam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva + janma + carita (पूर्व + जन्म + चरित प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• vaktum: to tell
• vaktum: Prayojana/Anukriya (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable infinitive)

• arhasi: you are able/fit
• arhasi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (अर्ह् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• tattvataḥ: truly, in reality
• tattvataḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tattvatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Rājñī (Queen)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (Rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The queen respectfully questions the king, acknowledging his trikāla-jñāna gained by Śiva’s grace, asking for the truthful account of her former birth.

Characters & Entities

• Girijāpati (Śiva)
• trikāla-jñāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace is presented as the source of higher knowledge, which should be used for truthful guidance and self-understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the focus is on Śiva’s grace and the unfolding of a past-life account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it is a narrative transition into past-birth exposition.