Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

ततो निर्विवरस्यास्य जलपूर्णोदरस्य च । गजस्य जठरात्सोऽयं निर्गंतु न शशाक ह

Transliteration

tato nirvivarasyāsya jalapūrṇodarasya ca | gajasya jaṭharātso'yaṃ nirgaṃtu na śaśāka ha

Translation

Daher konnte dieser, weil jener Elefant keine Öffnung hatte und sein Bauch mit Wasser gefüllt war, nicht aus dem Magen des Elefanten herauskommen.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• nir-vivarasya: of (one) without an opening
• nir-vivarasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir- (उपसर्ग) + vivara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (asya)

• asya: of this (one)
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• jala-pūrṇa-udarasya: of (one) whose belly is full of water
• jala-pūrṇa-udarasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + udara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (jalena pūrṇam udaram yasya)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय-बोधक)

• gajasya: of the elephant
• gajasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• jaṭharāt: from the belly
• jaṭharāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṭhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ayam: this (one)
• ayam: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• nirgaṃtum: to go out, to exit
• nirgaṃtum: Karma (Object of ability/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir- (उपसर्ग) + gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययभाव; क्रियार्थक

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• śaśāka: was able
• śaśāka: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śak (शक् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ha: indeed, surely (particle)
• ha: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्मरण/नूनम्/पादपूरण)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Setukhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cross-section narrative: the elephant’s distended belly like a dark chamber filled with water; a trapped figure (Duṣpaṇya) unable to escape, while outside the flood rages.

Characters & Entities

• Gaja (elephant)
• Duṣpaṇya (implied by later verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It depicts bondage (bandhana) as real and constricting—escape is not merely physical but ultimately resolved through dharmic transformation later in the narrative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu region is the broader sacred frame; this verse is narrative detail rather than direct tirtha praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.