Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र भुक्त्वा यथाकामं सर्वान् भोगान् यथेप्सितान् । जातिस्मरो हि जायेत पुनर्मानुष्यमागतः

Transliteration

tatra bhuktvā yathākāmaṃ sarvān bhogān yathepsitān | jātismaro hi jāyeta punarmānuṣyamāgataḥ

Translation

There, having enjoyed at will all pleasures as desired, when he returns again to human birth, he is indeed born with remembrance of his former lives.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/देशवाचक) — indeclinable adverb of place

• भुक्त्वा: having enjoyed (eaten)
• भुक्त्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), भुज्-धातोः — gerund/absolutive “having eaten/enjoyed”

• यथाकामम्: as desired
• यथाकामम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः — indeclinable adverb “according to desire/as one wishes”

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Plural

• भोगान्: enjoyments
• भोगान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Plural

• यथा: as
• यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकारवाचक) — indeclinable “as/according as”

• ईप्सितान्: desired, wished-for
• ईप्सितान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईप्सित (प्रातिपदिक; √आप्/ईप्स्-भाव)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Past participle used adjectivally; Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Plural

• जातिस्मरः: one who remembers past births
• जातिस्मरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जात्या स्मरः = जातिं स्मरति इति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/अवधारण) — particle “indeed/for”

• जायेत: would be born / would arise
• जायेत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Potential/Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/पुनरावृत्ति) — indeclinable adverb “again”

• मानुष्यम्: human state / humanity
• मानुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• आगतः: having attained/come to
• आगतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past participle; Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continued discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Haṃsatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha/Bhārata (addressed as the recipient of instruction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a serene tirtha, then a luminous celestial interlude of enjoyed pleasures, followed by a return to human birth marked by a halo-like aura of remembrance (jāti-smṛti).

Characters & Entities

• Haṃsatīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit can refine rebirth: even after heavenly enjoyment, one may return with heightened spiritual awareness (jātismaratā).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Haṃsatīrtha, whose merit is being described through its posthumous and rebirth-related fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription; it continues describing outcomes of the Haṃsatīrtha observances.