Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

तत्प्रभावादहं जातः कांतीनाथो महीपतिः । दशार्णाधिपतेः कन्या सापि जातिस्मरा सती

Transliteration

tatprabhāvādahaṃ jātaḥ kāṃtīnātho mahīpatiḥ | daśārṇādhipateḥ kanyā sāpi jātismarā satī

Translation

Durch eben jene Kraft wurde ich als Kāṃtīnātha geboren, ein Herrscher der Erde; und auch sie wurde als Tochter des Fürsten von Daśārṇa geboren—tugendhaft und mit Erinnerung an ihr früheres Leben begabt.

Word by Word

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (gen. sg.)

• प्रभावात्: from the power/effect
• प्रभावात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन (abl. sg.)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• जातः: was born
• जातः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियार्थे (was born)

• कांतीनाथः: lord of Kāntī
• कांतीनाथः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कांती + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘कांत्याः नाथः’)

• महीपतिः: king
• महीपतिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘महीपतेः’ = lord of the earth)

• दशार्णाधिपतेः: of the ruler of Daśārṇa
• दशार्णाधिपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशार्ण + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (gen. sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘दशार्णानाम् अधिपतिः’)

• कन्या: daughter
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (fem. nom. sg.)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• जातिस्मरा: remembering past births
• जातिस्मरा: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाति + स्मर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘जातिं स्मरति’ इति—one who remembers former births)

• सती: virtuous woman
• सती: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस् (धातु) → सत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: शतृ/सत्-प्रातिपदिक (present participle used adjectivally), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘सती’ = virtuous/true woman

Speaker

Rājā (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (contextual audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal birth scene juxtaposed with a subtle aura of past-life memory: the king Kāṃtīnātha enthroned, while elsewhere a princess of Daśārṇa is shown with a contemplative gaze, as if recalling a former existence.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Kāṃtīnātha
• Daśārṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit generated by worship and sacred-place association can bear fruit across births, shaping destiny and even granting jātismara (past-life memory).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s sacred sphere is implied as the source of “that power” (tat-prabhāva); the narrative’s tīrtha-context is the Mahākāla temple environment described in the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite; it states the karmic/spiritual result (phala) attributed to prior Mahākāla worship and vigil.