Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

शांडिल्य उवाच । अमुष्य बालस्य पिता स विदर्भमहीपतिः । पूर्वजन्मनि पांड्येशो बभूव नृपसत्तमः

Transliteration

śāṃḍilya uvāca | amuṣya bālasya pitā sa vidarbhamahīpatiḥ | pūrvajanmani pāṃḍyeśo babhūva nṛpasattamaḥ

Translation

Śāṇḍilya berkata: Ayah anak ini adalah penguasa tanah Vidarbha. Pada kelahiran terdahulu, ia pernah menjadi raja negeri Pāṇḍya, seorang raja utama di antara manusia.

Word by Word

• शांडिल्यः: Śāṇḍilya
• शांडिल्यः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाण्डिल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अमुष्य: of that (person)
• अमुष्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• बालस्य: of the boy
• बालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Anvaya/Pronominal subject support
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• विदर्भमहीपतिः: king of Vidarbha
• विदर्भमहीपतिः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विदर्भ-महीपति (प्रातिपदिक: विदर्भ + महीपति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• पूर्वजन्मनि: in a former birth
• पूर्वजन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location in time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व-जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• पांड्येशः: lord of the Pāṇḍyas
• पांड्येशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्ड्य-ईश (प्रातिपदिक: पाण्ड्य + ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• बभूव: became/was
• बभूव: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• नृपसत्तमः: best of kings
• नृपसत्तमः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक: नृप + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śāṇḍilya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vidarbha (regional kṣetra reference); Pāṇḍya-deśa (regional kṣetra reference)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the petitioner (father) and assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śāṇḍilya, in authoritative calm, reveals the boy’s father’s royal identity and his prior birth as a Pāṇḍya king; the scene shifts from pleading to revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Śāṇḍilya
• Vidarbha
• Pāṇḍya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It introduces karmic continuity across births: present conditions are explained through past-life status and actions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is praised here; the verse situates the narrative via kingdoms (Vidarbha, Pāṇḍya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse begins the explanatory backstory.