Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
गजोऽहं तुरगश्चापि कुक्कुटश्छाग एव च । योनीनां चतुराशीतिसहस्राणि च संख्यया
gajo'haṃ turagaścāpi kukkuṭaśchāga eva ca | yonīnāṃ caturāśītisahasrāṇi ca saṃkhyayā
“Aku pernah menjadi gajah, kuda, ayam jantan, dan juga kambing; dan jumlah rahim-kelahiran (yoni) disebut delapan puluh empat ribu.”
Garbhastha being (unidentified by name in snippet; speaking from the womb)
Scene: A visionary montage: the speaking foetus (or disembodied voice) evokes past lives—elephant, horse, rooster, goat—arrayed like a karmic procession, with a subtle thread linking them to the womb.
FAQs
It underlines the vast cycle of rebirth across species and the urgency of seeking liberation from saṃsāra.
No specific tīrtha is named in this shloka; the tīrtha-māhātmya setting frames the teaching indirectly.
None explicitly; the verse prepares for a mokṣa-oriented resolve.
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