Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

विज्ञप्तिकौतुकाभिख्यं यदा विद्याधराधिपम् । द्रक्ष्यतेऽसौ कनिष्ठस्ते तदा शापाद्विमोक्ष्यते

Transliteration

vijñaptikautukābhikhyaṃ yadā vidyādharādhipam | drakṣyate'sau kaniṣṭhaste tadā śāpādvimokṣyate

Translation

Lorsque ton cadet verra le seigneur des Vidyādharas, renommé sous le nom de Vijñapti-kautuka, alors il sera délivré de la malédiction.

Word by Word

• विज्ञप्तिकौतुकाभिख्यम्: called ‘Vijñapti-kautuka’
• विज्ञप्तिकौतुकाभिख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विज्ञप्ति + कौतुक + अभिख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative Singular; ‘named/known as Vijñapti-kautuka’

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय — temporal ‘when’

• विद्याधराधिपम्: the lord of the Vidyādharas
• विद्याधराधिपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्याधर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative Singular

• द्रक्ष्यते: he will see / will behold
• द्रक्ष्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Future, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada (passive-like sense ‘will be seen/ will see’)

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular

• कनिष्ठः: the younger (brother)
• कनिष्ठः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन — Genitive Singular ‘of you/your’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय — ‘then’

• शापात्: from the curse
• शापात्: Apadana (Source/Release-from/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन — Masculine, Ablative Singular

• विमोक्ष्यते: will be freed/released
• विमोक्ष्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि√मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे — Future, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada; ‘will be released’

Speaker

Gālava (concluding the condition of release)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual) / Darśana of Vijñapti-kautuka (episode focus)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sukarṇa, now human, beholds the radiant Vidyādharādhipa ‘Vijñapti-kautuka’; at the moment of vision, the curse loosens—shown as dark bands dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Vidyādhara-adhipa
• Vijñapti-kautuka
• Sukarṇa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even karmic punishment has an exit: divine order provides conditions for release when humility, right encounter, and destined grace arise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra remains the overarching sacred geography of the Setukhaṇḍa, though this verse highlights a liberation-condition within the story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed; the ‘prescription’ here is narrative—seeing/meeting the Vidyādhara lord as the trigger for śāpa-vimokṣa.