Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

मा शोकं कुरु मे मातः पूर्वजन्मार्जितं फलम् । ततः पूर्वं स्ववृत्तांतमुक्त्वा सा च कुमारिका

Transliteration

mā śokaṃ kuru me mātaḥ pūrvajanmārjitaṃ phalam | tataḥ pūrvaṃ svavṛttāṃtamuktvā sā ca kumārikā

Translation

«Mère, ne vous affligez pas ; c’est le fruit acquis dans une naissance antérieure.» Puis la jeune fille raconta l’ancien récit de sa propre destinée.

Word by Word

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Prohibition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय/निषेध)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• śokam: grief
• śokam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• kuru: do
• kuru: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (2nd person singular)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular; enclitic)

• mātaḥ: O mother
• mātaḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (मातृ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

• pūrva-janma-arjitam: earned in a former birth
• pūrva-janma-arjitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (पूर्व) + janman (जन्मन्) + arjita (अर्जित, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying ‘phalam’)

• phalam: result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (फल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (ततः अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अनन्तरार्थे (indeclinable adverb: ‘then/thereafter’)

• pūrvam: first/beforehand
• pūrvam: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (पूर्वम् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• sva-vṛttāntam: her own account/story
• sva-vṛttāntam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (स्व) + vṛttānta (वृत्तान्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• uktvā: having told
• uktvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having said’

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kumārikā: the maiden
• kumārikā: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumārikā (कुमारिका प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta) reporting the maiden’s speech (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young maiden calmly consoles her grieving mother, her face serene, as she prepares to narrate her former-life account; palace interior with attendants listening in hushed attention.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sorrow is tempered by understanding karma: present events can be the maturation of prior actions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it serves as narrative transition toward tīrtha-centered events.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse frames a karmic explanation and storytelling.