Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततश्च विस्मयाविष्टो व्यासो वचनमब्रवीत् । कस्त्वं मद्गृहिणीकुक्षौ प्रविष्टो गर्भरूपधृक्

Transliteration

tataśca vismayāviṣṭo vyāso vacanamabravīt | kastvaṃ madgṛhiṇīkukṣau praviṣṭo garbharūpadhṛk

Translation

Alors Vyāsa, saisi d’étonnement, prononça ces paroles : « Qui es-tu, toi qui es entré dans le sein de mon épouse, revêtu de la forme d’un fœtus ? »

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय/ततः)
• Form: अव्यय, तस्मात्-अर्थे (then/thereupon)

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

• vismaya-āviṣṭaḥ: overcome by astonishment
• vismaya-āviṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vismaya (प्रातिपदिक) + ā-viś (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (vismaya-āviṣṭa = विस्मयेन आविष्टः), क्त-कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vacanam: speech, words
• vacanam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• abravīt: said, spoke
• abravīt: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mat-gṛhiṇī-kukṣau: in my wife's womb
• mat-gṛhiṇī-kukṣau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम) + gṛhiṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + kukṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mat-gṛhiṇī = मम गृहिणी), ततः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (gṛhiṇī-kukṣi = गृहिण्याः कुक्षिः); पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग-आश्रयः ‘kukṣi’ पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (कुक्षौ)

• praviṣṭaḥ: entered
• praviṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-viś (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• garbha-rūpa-dhṛk: one bearing the form of an embryo
• garbha-rūpa-dhṛk: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhṛ (धातु) + kvip/क्विप् (धृक्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (garbha-rūpa = गर्भरूपम्), तदन्ते धृ-धातोः क्विप्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘धृक्’ (धारयिता); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Vyāsa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, austere and radiant, stands or sits in a hermitage chamber, speaking toward his pregnant wife’s womb; the moment is charged with wonder, as if the foetus is conscious.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the greatest sages encounter divine mysteries; humility before the unseen order is part of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is named in this verse; it is a narrative pivot within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is direct speech initiating inquiry.