Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23
Devanagari script
अन्यदेहांतरे राजञ्छूद्रजातिसमुद्भवः । शूद्रजातिरियं साध्वी तव पत्नी ह्यभूत्पुरा
Transliteration
anyadehāṃtare rājañchūdrajātisamudbhavaḥ | śūdrajātiriyaṃ sādhvī tava patnī hyabhūtpurā
Translation
「別の身において、王よ、汝はシュードラ（Śūdra）の共同体に生まれた。そしてこの貞淑なる女—汝の妻—もまた、昔はシュードラの生まれであった。」
Word by Word
अन्य-देह-अन्तरेin another body (in another life)
अन्य-देह-अन्तरे:
Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootअन्य (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (in another body)
राजन्O king
राजन्:
Sambodhana (Address)
TypeNoun
Rootराजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन
शूद्र-जाति-समुद्भवःborn of the Śūdra caste
शूद्र-जाति-समुद्भवः:
Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
TypeAdjective
Rootशूद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (arisen from Śūdra caste)
शूद्र-जातिःŚūdra caste
शूद्र-जातिः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootशूद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष
इयम्this (she)
इयम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootइदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम
साध्वीvirtuous woman
साध्वी:
Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसाध्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण
तवyour
तव:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम
पत्नीwife
पत्नी:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootपत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
हिindeed
हि:
Sambandha (Particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि (अव्यय)
Formनिश्चयबोधक-अव्यय (indeed)
अभूत्was, became
अभूत्:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√भू (धातु)
Formलुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
पुराformerly, earlier
पुरा:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुरा (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: formerly)
Speaker
Vasiṣṭha
Skanda Dialogue
Listener: King (māhīpāla)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: The sage narrates a flashback: a humble couple in simple garments, dignified and virtuous, contrasted with the present royal setting—suggesting the wheel of births.
Characters & Entities
V
VasiṣṭhaR
Rājan (King)S
Sādhvī (wife)FAQs
It emphasizes rebirth and the unfolding of karma over lifetimes, relativizing worldly status before dharma and merit.
No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it is part of the karmic backstory within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa.
None; it is a narrative disclosure about prior birth.