Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

क्षये च पुनरायांति सुकृतस्य महीतले । ब्रह्मज्ञानात्परं प्राप्य पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते

Transliteration

kṣaye ca punarāyāṃti sukṛtasya mahītale | brahmajñānātparaṃ prāpya punarjanma na vidyate

Translation

Wenn dieses Verdienst erschöpft ist, kehren sie wieder zur Erde zurück. Wer jedoch durch Brahma-jñāna das Höchste erlangt, für den gibt es keine Wiedergeburt mehr.

Word by Word

• क्षये: at (the time of) exhaustion/end
• क्षये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• आयान्ति: return/come back
• आयान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुकृतस्य: of merit (good deed)
• सुकृतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• महीतले: on the earth’s surface
• महीतले: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—मही-तलम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• ब्रह्मज्ञानात्: from Brahman-knowledge
• ब्रह्मज्ञानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः ज्ञानम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• परम्: the supreme (state)
• परम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणं (अध्याहृतं ‘पदम्/फलम्’)

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (absolutive)

• पुनर्जन्म: rebirth
• पुनर्जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुनः + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावसमासः—पुनः जन्म (पुनर्जन्म)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्तरि प्रयोगः—‘exists’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-tier contrast: a soul descending from svarga back to earth as merit wanes; beside it, a serene sage absorbed in Brahman-realization, surrounded by a quiet aura signifying apunarjanma.

Characters & Entities

• Sukṛta
• Mahī (Earth)
• Brahma-jñāna
• Punarjanma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Heavenly rewards end when merit ends; only Brahma-jñāna grants freedom from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this line; it provides doctrinal framing within a tīrtha chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it contrasts karma-based merit with knowledge-based liberation.