Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

अथ काले तु संप्राप्ते प्रमीतोऽहं नृपालये । जातो जातिस्मारस्तावदानर्ताधिपतेः सुतः

Transliteration

atha kāle tu saṃprāpte pramīto'haṃ nṛpālaye | jāto jātismārastāvadānartādhipateḥ sutaḥ

Translation

समय आने पर मैं राजा के भवन में देह त्याग गया; फिर मैं आनर्त के अधिपति का पुत्र बनकर जन्मा, और मुझे पूर्वजन्म की स्मृति बनी रही।

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/then)

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक (emphatic/contrastive particle)

• संप्राप्ते: when (it) had arrived
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Time qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; ‘काले’ इति विशेषण (agreeing with kāle)

• प्रमीतः: (I) died
• प्रमीतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-मी (धातु) → प्रमीत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘मृतः’ अर्थे (past participle used predicatively)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• नृपालये: in the king’s palace
• नृपालये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (नृपस्य आलयः); पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• जातः: was born
• जातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; ‘अहम्’ इत्यस्य विधेय (predicative)

• जातिस्मारः: one who remembers former births
• जातिस्मारः: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाति + स्मार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (जातिं स्मरति इति/जातिस्मरणसमर्थः); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; ‘अहम्’ इति विशेषण

• तावत्: then/at that time
• तावत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/परिमाण-शब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि (so long/then)

• आनर्ताधिपतेः: of the lord of Ānarta
• आनर्ताधिपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनर्त + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (आनर्तस्य अधिपतिः); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• सुतः: a son
• सुतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; ‘अहम्’ इत्यस्य विधेय (predicate nominative)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (first-person)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage/assembly (contextual; not specified in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A soul departing in a royal palace, then a luminous rebirth scene in the house of the lord of Ānarta; the child’s eyes suggest uncanny remembrance of a former life.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta (region/kingdom)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions carry across lifetimes; Purāṇas often show karmic results through rebirth and jātismara memory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified in this verse; it situates the narrator in Ānarta to continue the māhātmya storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse establishes karmic continuity for the ensuing worship practice.