Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

पश्यतिस्म तथात्मानं महीतलमुपागतम् । कांपिल्यनगरे भूयः पप्रच्छात्मानमात्मना

Transliteration

paśyatisma tathātmānaṃ mahītalamupāgatam | kāṃpilyanagare bhūyaḥ papracchātmānamātmanā

Translation

Lalu ia melihat dirinya sendiri telah turun ke permukaan bumi. Sesampainya kembali di kota Kāmpilya, ia menanyai tentang dirinya sendiri, merenung dalam batinnya.

Word by Word

• paśyati: he sees
• paśyati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• sma: indeed/then (past narrative marker)
• sma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), भूतार्थ/स्मरणार्थक (marks past narration)

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• ātmānam: himself
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• mahītalam: the surface of the earth
• mahītalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī-tala (प्रातिपदिक; मही + तल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• upāgatam: arrived/come to
• upāgatam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√gam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of mahītalam

• kāṃpilya-nagare: in the city of Kāṃpilya
• kāṃpilya-nagare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṃpilya-nagara (प्रातिपदिक; कांपिल्य + नगर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• papraccha: he asked
• papraccha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√prach (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ātmānam: himself
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ātmanā: by himself
• ātmanā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary king, newly ‘arrived’ on earth, stands at the threshold of Kāmpilya; the city appears familiar yet estranged. He pauses, eyes inward, as if seeing his own self descend and questioning his identity in the mind.

Characters & Entities

• Kāmpilya
• Indradyumna (implied by surrounding verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights self-inquiry when confronted with change—an invitation to discern what remains true amid time’s transformations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāmpilya is mentioned as a geographical setting; this verse itself does not explicitly proclaim a tīrtha-phala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative context.