Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

जायते चैकलः प्राणी प्रम्रियेत तथैकलः । एकलः सुकृतं भुंक्ते भुंक्ते दुष्कृतमेकलः

Transliteration

jāyate caikalaḥ prāṇī pramriyeta tathaikalaḥ | ekalaḥ sukṛtaṃ bhuṃkte bhuṃkte duṣkṛtamekalaḥ

Translation

Seul l’être naît, et seul de même il meurt ; seul il goûte le fruit des bonnes actions, et seul il doit savourer le fruit des fautes.

Word by Word

• jāyate: is born
• jāyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ekalaḥ: alone
• ekalaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘alone/solitary’

• prāṇī: living being
• prāṇī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• pramriyeta: dies
• pramriyeta: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mṛ (धातु) with prefix pra-
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘should die/does die’ (gnomic)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), manner; ‘so, likewise’

• ekalaḥ: alone
• ekalaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; repeated

• ekalaḥ: alone
• ekalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• sukṛtam: good deed, merit
• sukṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• bhuṅkte: experiences
• bhuṅkte: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘enjoys/experiences’

• bhuṅkte: experiences
• bhuṅkte: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; repeated

• duṣkṛtam: bad deed, demerit
• duṣkṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duṣkṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• ekalaḥ: alone
• ekalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; predicate emphasis

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kāśī pilgrims/seekers

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone traveler walks a Kāśī ghat at night with a small lamp; behind him are faint footprints that transform into symbols of good and bad deeds; ahead, the river reflects moonlight, suggesting the solitary journey of the soul.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Karma
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma is personal and inescapable: each soul bears its own merit and sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s dharma teaching context, supporting Kāśī’s focus on liberation through right living.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes personal ethical responsibility as the foundation of pilgrimage merit.