Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

तौ स्वकर्मवशाद्यातौ गृहं त्यक्त्वा त्विदं क्वचित् । तव कर्मवशात्त्वं च तिष्ठस्यस्मिन्महीतले

Transliteration

tau svakarmavaśādyātau gṛhaṃ tyaktvā tvidaṃ kvacit | tava karmavaśāttvaṃ ca tiṣṭhasyasminmahītale

Translation

Jene beiden (deine Eltern) sind, von ihrem eigenen Karma getrieben, fortgegangen, haben das Haus verlassen und sind anderswohin gezogen. Und auch du, von deinem Karma getrieben, verweilst hier auf Erden.

Word by Word

• tau: those two (they two)
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम

• sva-karma-vaśāt: due to the force of their own karma
• sva-karma-vaśāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास; हेत्वर्थे पञ्चमी (because of/under the control of)

• yātau: gone
• yātau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; गत्यर्थे (gone)

• gṛham: home
• gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tyaktvā: having abandoned
• tyaktvā: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (त्यज् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• tu: but / indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• idam: this (place/state)
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kvacit: somewhere
• kvacit: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (somewhere/at some time)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 2nd person pronoun (your)

• karma-vaśāt: due to the force of (your) karma
• karma-vaśāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास; हेत्वर्थे पञ्चमी

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tiṣṭhasi: you stand / remain
• tiṣṭhasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahī-tale: on the earth’s surface
• mahī-tale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (mahīyāḥ talaṃ = surface of the earth)

Speaker

An instructing sage/teacher figure in the Setukhaṇḍa dialogue (contextual; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (Setubandha/Rāmeśvara-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage indicates two paths: one fading into the distance (parents’ gati) and one continuing on earth (the listener’s gati), emphasizing karma’s pull like unseen winds.

Characters & Entities

• Karma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Separation and departure occur according to karma; understanding this reduces despair and supports righteous action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setukhaṇḍa framework ultimately glorifies Rāmasetu and Rāmanātha, though this verse is doctrinal about karma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not yet; the verse establishes karmic reasoning that leads into instructions for preta-kārya later.