Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

एवमाद्यैर्नरः पापैरुत्क्रान्तैः समनंतरम् । शरीरं यातनार्थाय पूर्वाकारमवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

evamādyairnaraḥ pāpairutkrāntaiḥ samanaṃtaram | śarīraṃ yātanārthāya pūrvākāramavāpnuyāt

Translation

Après avoir quitté la vie avec de tels péchés et d’autres semblables, l’homme obtient aussitôt un corps du même genre qu’auparavant, afin d’endurer le tourment.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in this way)

• आद्यैः: by such (and similar)
• आद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् पापैः-शब्दस्य (beginning/aforementioned etc.)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (पापम्); तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; साधन/हेतुवाचक

• उत्क्रान्तैः: committed
• उत्क्रान्तैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्-क्रम् (धातु) → उत्क्रान्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग तृतीया-बहुवचन; विशेषणम् पापैः-शब्दस्य; अर्थः “committed/perpetrated”

• समनन्तरम्: immediately
• समनन्तरम्: Sambandha (Temporal adverb/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय; कालवाचक (immediately/without interval)

• शरीरम्: a body
• शरीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यातनार्थाय: for (the purpose of) torment
• यातनार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (“यातनायाः अर्थः”/“यातनार्थम्” = for the purpose of torment)

• पूर्वाकारम्: the former form
• पूर्वाकारम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (“पूर्वः आकारः” = former form)

• अवाप्नुयात्: should obtain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; अर्थः “should obtain”

Speaker

Mahākāla (contextual—Kaumārikākhaṇḍa dialogue; immediate speaker not marked in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A liminal scene: the departing soul (preta-like) is seized by yamadūtas; then a shadowy ‘re-formed’ body appears, suggesting re-embodiment for suffering.

Characters & Entities

• pāpa (sin)
• yātanā (torment)
• śarīra (body)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions follow the soul; sinful tendencies can lead to immediate consequences in embodied states of suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha appears; the verse explains karmic aftermath rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it prepares the ground for turning toward Śiva as refuge in the next verse.