Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अथ कालेन महता पंचत्वं त्वमुपागता । दशार्णाधिपतेर्गेहे ततो जातासि सुन्दरि

Transliteration

atha kālena mahatā paṃcatvaṃ tvamupāgatā | daśārṇādhipatergehe tato jātāsi sundari

Translation

Après un long temps, tu rencontreras la mort ; puis, ô belle, tu naquis dans la demeure du seigneur de Daśārṇa.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• कालेन: by/with time
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• महता: great/long
• महता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying कालेन)

• पंचत्वम्: the state of five elements (death)
• पंचत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• उपागता: attained/reached
• उपागता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त) स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘त्वम्’ सह (you came to/attained)

• दशार्णाधिपतेः: of the lord of Daśārṇa
• दशार्णाधिपतेः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशार्ण-अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दशार्णानाम् अधिपतिः), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• गेहे: in the house
• गेहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह/गेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ततः: thereupon/then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम्- अर्थे अव्यय (thereupon/from there)

• जातासि: you were born
• जातासि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद; अर्थे ‘त्वं जाता असि’ (you were born)

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Ṛṣi (unnamed narrator within the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (as causal tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājñī (queen)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A time-lapse narrative: the devotee’s death (pañcatva) transitions to a royal birth scene in Daśārṇa—palace chambers, attendants, and auspicious signs around the newborn girl.

Characters & Entities

• Daśārṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic continuity persists across death and rebirth; one’s life-story unfolds over multiple births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Prabhāsa-kṣetra (the narrative frame), though this verse focuses on rebirth in Daśārṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.