Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

गर्भस्मृतेरभावेन शास्त्रमुक्तं महर्षिभिः । तद्दृःखकथनार्थाय स्वर्गमोक्षप्रसाधकम्

Transliteration

garbhasmṛterabhāvena śāstramuktaṃ maharṣibhiḥ | taddṛḥkhakathanārthāya svargamokṣaprasādhakam

Translation

Because the memory of the womb is absent, the great seers proclaimed the śāstra—to describe that suffering and to establish the means that lead to heaven and liberation (mokṣa).

Word by Word

• garbha-smṛteḥ: of the memory of the womb (prenatal memory)
• garbha-smṛteḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + smṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: गर्भस्य स्मृतिः

• abhāvena: due to absence
• abhāvena: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (causal instrumental)

• śāstram: the scripture/teaching
• śāstram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• uktam: said, declared
• uktam: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• maharṣibhiḥ: by the great sages
• maharṣibhiḥ: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maharṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• tat-duḥkha-kathana-arthāya: for the purpose of narrating that suffering
• tat-duḥkha-kathana-arthāya: Sampradana (Purpose/Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + kathana (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन; समासार्थः: तस्य (गर्भस्मृतेः-अभावस्य) दुःखस्य कथनस्य अर्थाय = 'for the purpose of describing that suffering'

• svarga-mokṣa-prasādhakam: that which accomplishes heaven and liberation
• svarga-mokṣa-prasādhakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + prasādhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies śāstram); द्वन्द्व (svarga + mokṣa) + तत्पुरुष (prasādhaka = 'accomplishing')

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fetus curled in the womb amid darkness and constriction; above, luminous ṛṣis compose śāstra on palm leaves, rays descending as guidance toward two paths labeled svarga and mokṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Maharṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scripture exists to compensate for human forgetfulness and to teach the path that overcomes suffering, culminating in svarga and ultimately mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse explains the function of śāstra in general.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is specified; the verse broadly affirms śāstra as the guide to practices and knowledge that yield svarga and mokṣa.