Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

मांसाद उवाच । प्रेतयोनिरियं राजन्नवमी देवसंज्ञिता । गुणत्रयसमायुक्ता शेषैर्दोषैः समंततः

Transliteration

māṃsāda uvāca | pretayoniriyaṃ rājannavamī devasaṃjñitā | guṇatrayasamāyuktā śeṣairdoṣaiḥ samaṃtataḥ

Translation

Māṃsāda sprach: „O König, dieser Preta-Zustand heißt ‚der Neunte‘ und wird sogar ‚göttlich‘ genannt. Er ist mit den drei Guṇas ausgestattet, doch von allen Seiten von anderen Mängeln umgeben.“

Word by Word

• मांसादः: the flesh-eater (name/epithet)
• मांसादः: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस + अद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (मांसम् अत्ति)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रेतयोनिः: the preta-state/womb
• प्रेतयोनिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत + योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Demonstrative qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• नवमी: ninth
• नवमी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण (ordinal)

• देवसंज्ञिता: called ‘deva’ (having the name deva)
• देवसंज्ञिता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव + संज्ञित (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘संज्ञित’ = named; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देव-संज्ञिता)

• गुणत्रयसमायुक्ता: endowed with the three guṇas
• गुणत्रयसमायुक्ता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण + त्रय + सम् + आ + युज् (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (युक्त) with उपसर्ग सम्+आ; समास: द्विगु/तत्पुरुष (त्रय-गुण) + तत्पुरुष (समायुक्ता)

• शेषैः: with the remaining (other)
• शेषैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दोषैः)

• दोषैः: faults, defects
• दोषैः: Karaṇa/Hetu (Accompaniment/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• समन्ततः: on all sides, entirely
• समन्ततः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Māṃsāda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Māṃsāda explains to the king: the preta-yoni is termed ‘Ninth’ and even ‘divine’, endowed with the three guṇas but ringed by defects—shown as a figure with a faint aura yet shadowy encirclement.

Characters & Entities

• Māṃsāda
• rājā (king)
• preta-yoni
• navamī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A state may carry certain ‘advantages’ (guṇas), yet still be fundamentally painful due to pervasive defects—spiritual evaluation must be holistic.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in the verse; the focus is on describing the preta condition within a tīrtha-related chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces a doctrinal explanation (guṇas and doṣas) rather than prescribing a rite.