Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

न दत्तं तेन पापेन सार्गालीं योनिमाप्तवान् । त्वं च वानर पूर्वस्मिन्वेदनाथाभिधो द्विजः

Transliteration

na dattaṃ tena pāpena sārgālīṃ yonimāptavān | tvaṃ ca vānara pūrvasminvedanāthābhidho dvijaḥ

Translation

Weil jenes sündhafte Versprechen nicht erfüllt wurde, erlangtest du den Schoß eines Schakals. Und du, o Affe, warst in einem früheren Leben ein zweimalgeborener Brahmane namens Vedanātha.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात; negation particle

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as predicate ‘(it was) given’ with negation

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental Singular (‘by him’)

• पापेन: sinful
• पापेन: Karta (Agent-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental Singular; विशेषणम् (तेन)

• सार्गालीम्: (a) jackal (female)
• सार्गालीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sārgālī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative Singular

• योनिम्: womb, birth, form
• योनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative Singular

• आप्तवान्: obtained, attained
• आप्तवान्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकालिक), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Past active participle ‘having obtained’

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative Singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात; conjunction

• वानर: O monkey
• वानर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative Singular

• पूर्वस्मिन्: in the former (time/birth)
• पूर्वस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative Singular; विशेषणम् (भवे/जन्मनि implied)

• वेदनाथाभिधः: named Vedanātha
• वेदनाथाभिधः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vedanātha + abhidhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वेदनाथः इति अभिधीयते), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative Singular; विशेषणम् (त्वम्)

• द्विजः: a Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative Singular

Speaker

Sindhudvīpa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Jackal and monkey

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage concludes the jackal’s karmic consequence—attaining jackal womb due to non-giving—and turns to the monkey, naming his former Brahmin identity Vedanātha, setting up the next revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Sindhudvīpa
• Sṛgāla
• Vānara
• Vedanātha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unfulfilled righteous obligations—especially promised gifts—create bondage that can lead to lower births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra remains the context; Dhanuṣkoṭi is the purifying site introduced shortly after.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly here; the verse diagnoses karmic causes before prescribing tīrtha-snān.