Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

मानुष्यं हि स्मृताकारं सभाग्योऽस्माद्विमुच्यते । पशवः पक्षिणः कीटाः कृमयश्च यथासुखम्

Transliteration

mānuṣyaṃ hi smṛtākāraṃ sabhāgyo'smādvimucyate | paśavaḥ pakṣiṇaḥ kīṭāḥ kṛmayaśca yathāsukham

Translation

Car la condition humaine, pourvue de mémoire et de discernement, délivre l’homme fortuné de cette servitude. Mais les bêtes, les oiseaux, les insectes et les vers vivent, chacun, selon son aise.

Word by Word

• मानुष्यम्: human (state)
• मानुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात

• स्मृताकारम्: having the form of memory/known by recollection
• स्मृताकारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛta (कृदन्त; √स्मृ) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समास: स्मृतः आकारः यस्य/यत् (तत्पुरुष; अर्थतः 'स्मृत्या ज्ञेय-स्वरूपम्')

• सभाग्यः: the fortunate one
• सभाग्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa + bhāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समास: स-भाग्य (कर्मधारय: 'fortunate')

• अस्मात्: from this (human state)
• अस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विमुच्यते: is freed/released
• विमुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद

• पशवः: animals
• पशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• पक्षिणः: birds
• पक्षिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• कीटाः: insects
• कीटाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• कृमयः: worms
• कृमयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

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

• यथा: as/according to
• यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (as/according to)

• सुखम्: comfortably
• सुखम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (adverbial accusative: 'comfortably')

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa framing a dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A human devotee holds a palm-leaf manuscript (smṛti/śāstra) and a japa-mālā, standing between two paths: one leading to liberation light, the other to carefree animal life in a forest.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth, marked by smṛti (reflective memory), is uniquely suited for liberation; other births mainly follow instinctive comfort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives a general purāṇic teaching on embodiment and release.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes inner capacity (smṛti/viveka) rather than a named rite.