Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

जातिस्मृतिप्रभावेण तत्संगेन तु निर्गताः । तैश्च कार्पटिकश्रेष्ठेः पथि दृष्ट्वा कृपालुभिः

Transliteration

jātismṛtiprabhāveṇa tatsaṃgena tu nirgatāḥ | taiśca kārpaṭikaśreṣṭheḥ pathi dṛṣṭvā kṛpālubhiḥ

Translation

Durch die Kraft der Erinnerung an frühere Geburten und durch jene Begegnung traten sie hervor; und die mitleidvollen Hähne, als sie den vornehmsten kārpaṭika auf dem Weg erblickten, erwiderten in Güte.

Word by Word

• जाति-स्मृति-प्रभावेण: by the power of recollection of former birth
• जाति-स्मृति-प्रभावेण: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (जातिस्मृतेः प्रभावः)

• तत्-सङ्गेन: by that association/contact
• तत्-सङ्गेन: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + सङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तस्य सङ्गः)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; विरोध/अन्वय)

• निर्गताः: went out, departed
• निर्गताः: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्-√गम् (धातु) → निर्गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) प्रयुक्तं क्रियापदवत्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• कार्पटिक-श्रेष्ठेः: of the best kārpaṭika
• कार्पटिक-श्रेष्ठेः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्पटिक (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कार्पटिकानां श्रेष्ठः)

• पथि: on the road
• पथि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन्/पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• कृपालुभिः: by the compassionate ones
• कृपालुभिः: Karta (Agent as qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृपालु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (तैः इत्यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four roosters emerge from nearby, eyes bright with recognition; the foremost kārpaṭika pauses; an invisible thread of past-life memory is suggested through light or symbolic motifs; compassion softens the scene.

Characters & Entities

• kārpaṭika (ascetic)
• jātismṛti (past-life memory)
• kukkuṭa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic impressions can awaken as jātismṛti; holy association (saṅga) transforms conduct into compassion and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kāśī-kṣetra is the sanctifying context, leading to the Muktimaṇḍapa/Kukkuṭamaṇḍapa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the emphasis is on saṅga (association with the holy) and its transformative power.