Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

जटायुषं तु दृष्ट्वैव ज्ञात्वा राक्षससंहृताम् । सीतां ज्ञात्वा ततः पक्षी संस्कृतस्तेन भक्तितः

Transliteration

jaṭāyuṣaṃ tu dṛṣṭvaiva jñātvā rākṣasasaṃhṛtām | sītāṃ jñātvā tataḥ pakṣī saṃskṛtastena bhaktitaḥ

Translation

Als Rāma Jaṭāyu erblickte und erfuhr, dass der Rākṣasa ihn erschlagen hatte—und so Sītās Geschick erkannte—vollzog er in Hingabe die Totenriten für den Vogel.

Word by Word

• जटायुषम्: Jaṭāyu
• जटायुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṭāyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = masculine accusative singular

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = particle

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त = gerund/absolutive

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) = emphatic particle

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त = gerund/absolutive

• राक्षससंहृताम्: killed by a demon
• राक्षससंहृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rākṣasa + saṃ√hṛ (हृ) → saṃhṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (राक्षसेन संहृता/संहृतः) = feminine accusative singular adjective

• सीताम्: Sītā
• सीताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sītā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = feminine accusative singular

• ज्ञात्वा: having learned/recognized
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त = gerund/absolutive

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequential/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त; क्रम/हेतु/अपादानार्थ) = indeclinable adverb ‘thereupon/from that’

• पक्षी: the bird (Jaṭāyu)
• पक्षी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = masculine nominative singular

• संस्कृतः: was honored/treated (with rites)
• संस्कृतः: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ√kṛ (कृ) → saṃskṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त) = past passive participle; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तेन: by him (Rāma)
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम = instrumental singular pronoun

• भक्तितः: out of devotion
• भक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय = indeclinable adverb ‘out of/from devotion’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jaṭāyu-smṛti-sthāna (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa stand beside the fallen Jaṭāyu; Rāma, moved yet composed, performs the last rites with devotion—offering water and arranging the body for cremation/ritual farewell.

Characters & Entities

• Jaṭāyu
• Rāma
• Sītā
• Rākṣasa (Rāvaṇa implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gratitude and dharma extend beyond human boundaries; honoring a protector through proper rites is itself a sacred act that upholds cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse highlights saṃskāra-dharma (funerary duty) within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Saṃskāra/antyeṣṭi: performing due funeral rites for the fallen (here, Jaṭāyu), done with bhakti.