Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 164

Devanagari script

ततो योनिसहस्रेषु गतिस्तिर्यक्षु चैव हि । गोयोनिं समनुप्राप्तस्त्वद्गृहे स सुदुर्मतिः

Transliteration

tato yonisahasreṣu gatistiryakṣu caiva hi | goyoniṃ samanuprāptastvadgṛhe sa sudurmatiḥ

Translation

«Puis, traversant des milliers de matrices et errant parmi les naissances animales, cet être à l’esprit mauvais obtint enfin une naissance de vache et vint dans ta demeure.»

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'then/from that')

• yoni-sahasreṣu: among thousands of births
• yoni-sahasreṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoni (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः ('among thousands of wombs/births')

• gatiḥ: course/destination
• gatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tiryakṣu: among animals (lower beings)
• tiryakṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tiryac (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Emphasis (Avadharana/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle: 'indeed/just')

• hi: indeed
• hi: Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), निपात (emphasis)

• go-yoniṃ: a cow’s womb/birth as a cow
• go-yoniṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः ('cow-womb/cow-birth')

• samanuprāptaḥ: having attained/reached
• samanuprāptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-anu-√prāp (धातु) → samanuprāpta (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (past participle), कर्तरि-प्रयोगः ('having attained')

• tvad-gṛhe: in your house
• tvad-gṛhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध: 'in your house')

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• sudurmatiḥ: very evil-minded (one)
• sudurmatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + durmati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (intensifier su- with durmati: 'very evil-minded')

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cow (or ox) stands in the king’s courtyard; a translucent sequence behind it shows many wombs/animal forms fading into one another, ending in the present cow-birth; the king’s gaze softens into compassion.

Characters & Entities

• tiryak (animal birth)
• go-yoni (cow birth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma can drive the jīva through many lower births; moral conduct determines the trajectory of rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography is the frame; this verse highlights rebirth leading into a tīrtha-related redemption narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it sets up the later mention of bathing, worship, and vigil.