Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

भवित्री तव हत्या च महाभागवतः पुनः । जन्मानि च शतान्यष्टौ क्लिश्यते भ्रूणहत्यया

Transliteration

bhavitrī tava hatyā ca mahābhāgavataḥ punaḥ | janmāni ca śatānyaṣṭau kliśyate bhrūṇahatyayā

Translation

Ta mise à mort s’accomplira de nouveau, ô très fortuné ; car durant huit cents naissances on est tourmenté par le péché d’avoir tué l’embryon dans le sein.

Word by Word

• भवित्री: (she/it) will be / will happen
• भवित्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भविष्यत्कालवाचक-कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun)

• तव: of you / your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हत्या: killing, murder
• हत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• महाभागवतः: a great devotee
• महाभागवतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभागवत (प्रातिपदिक: महा + भागवत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः (महान् भागवत:)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-वाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• जन्मानि: births
• जन्मानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

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

• शतानि: hundreds
• शतानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (सर्वलिङ्गेषु प्रयोगः)

• क्लिश्यते: is afflicted / suffers
• क्लिश्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्लिश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• भ्रूणहत्यया: by/through the killing of an embryo
• भ्रूणहत्यया: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रूणहत्या (प्रातिपदिक: भ्रूण + हत्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भ्रूणस्य हत्या)

Speaker

The woman (nārī) speaking

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharma-teacher warns a ‘mahābhāgavata’ about the long karmic shadow of bhrūṇahatya, with imagery of a soul passing through repeated births under the weight of sin.

Characters & Entities

• Bhrūṇahatya (grave sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions have long karmic tails; grave harms can bind the soul to prolonged suffering across many births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is directly praised; the verse is part of a moral warning within the Revā Khaṇḍa story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes karmic consequence rather than a rite.