Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 122

Devanagari script

विप्रजन्मनि तस्यैव प्रभावाद्व्याससंगमः । ततः सर्वरुतज्ञो मां प्राहार्च्यः कीटभाषया

Transliteration

viprajanmani tasyaiva prabhāvādvyāsasaṃgamaḥ | tataḥ sarvarutajño māṃ prāhārcyaḥ kīṭabhāṣayā

Translation

Durch die Kraft eben jenes Verdienstes, das in einer Geburt als Brāhmaṇa erworben wurde, kam ich mit Vyāsa in Berührung. Da sprach der Verehrungswürdige—Kenner jedes Lautes und jeder Rede—zu mir in der Sprache der Insekten.

Word by Word

• विप्रजन्मनि: in (a) brahmin birth
• विप्रजन्मनि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular; समासः: विप्रजन्मन् = ‘brahmin-birth’

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun, Genitive, Singular

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• प्रभावात्: due to (the) power
• प्रभावात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; Ablative singular: ‘due to/from the power’

• व्याससंगमः: meeting with Vyāsa
• व्याससंगमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; समासः: व्याससंगम = ‘meeting with Vyāsa’

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb): ‘then/thereupon’

• सर्वरुतज्ञः: knower of all sounds
• सर्वरुतज्ञः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + रुत + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; समासः: सर्वरुतज्ञ = ‘knower of all sounds/cries’

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√अह्/√ब्रू (धातु; ‘to say’)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्ण), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular: ‘said’

• अर्च्यः: worthy of worship
• अर्च्यः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च्य (प्रातिपदिक; √अर्च् + यत्)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘worthy of worship’ (qualifying Vyāsa)

• कीटभाषया: in the language of an insect
• कीटभाषया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीट + भाषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular; समासः: कीटभाषा = ‘insect-language’

Speaker

Unspecified narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, venerable and radiant, speaks gently; the speech is shown as subtle sound-waves reaching an insect, indicating ‘knower of all utterances’ addressing in insect-language.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past merit (puṇya) is never lost; it can mature as saving contact with a great sage even in a degraded birth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī-bank milieu frames the event, reinforcing sacred geography as a stage for liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse points to the fruit of prior dharma performed in a brāhmaṇa life.