Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

पूर्वजन्मकृतैः पापैर्जायंतेऽल्पायुषो जनाः । तानि पापानि नश्यंति रुद्रं जप्तवतां नृणाम्

Transliteration

pūrvajanmakṛtaiḥ pāpairjāyaṃte'lpāyuṣo janāḥ | tāni pāpāni naśyaṃti rudraṃ japtavatāṃ nṛṇām

Translation

Karena dosa yang dilakukan pada kelahiran-kelahiran lampau, manusia terlahir berumur pendek; namun dosa-dosa itu lenyap bagi mereka yang melantunkan japa Rudra.

Word by Word

• पूर्वजन्मकृतैः: done in a previous birth
• पूर्वजन्मकृतैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व-जन्म-कृत (प्रातिपदिक; पूर्व + जन्म + कृत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘previous birth’ + ‘done’)

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Hetu/Instrument (हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• जायन्ते: are born
• जायन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन

• अल्पायुषः: short-lived
• अल्पायुषः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प-आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक; अल्प + आयुस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘short’ + ‘lifespan’)

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तानि: those
• तानि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karta (कर्ता) (apposition to ‘तानि’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नश्यन्ति: perish/are destroyed
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन

• रुद्रम्: Rudra
• रुद्रम्: Karma (कर्म) (of ‘जप्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• जप्तवताम्: of those who have recited
• जप्तवताम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जप् (धातु) + वत् (प्रातिपदिक-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्तवत्-प्रत्यय, भूतकर्तरि), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; ‘of those who have recited’

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee with rudrākṣa mālā chants ‘Rudra’ with focused serenity; dark karmic shadows dissolve; a symbolic thread of life brightens, suggesting relief from alpa-āyus causes.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Karma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past karma shapes lifespan and suffering, but Rudra-japa is affirmed as a powerful means to dissolve accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse universalizes the fruit of Rudra-japa beyond any single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chanting/reciting Rudra (Rudra-japa) is prescribed as a practice that destroys pāpa, including that from previous births.