Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

गत्वा मनुष्यभावे तु पापचिह्ना भवन्ति ते । तत्तेऽहं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुष्वैकमना नृप

Transliteration

gatvā manuṣyabhāve tu pāpacihnā bhavanti te | tatte'haṃ sampravakṣyāmi śṛṇuṣvaikamanā nṛpa

Translation

അവർ വീണ്ടും മനുഷ്യഭാവത്തിലേക്ക് മടങ്ങിവരുമ്പോൾ പാപത്തിന്റെ ലക്ഷണങ്ങൾ അവരിൽ പ്രത്യക്ഷമാകും. ഹേ നൃപാ! ആ ചിഹ്നങ്ങൾ ഞാൻ ഇപ്പോൾ വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു—ഏകാഗ്രചിത്തത്തോടെ ശ്രവിക്കൂ.

Word by Word

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः; धातु: गम्; अर्थे: पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having gone)

• मनुष्यभावे: in human state/existence
• मनुष्यभावे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्यभाव (प्रातिपदिक) = मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक) + भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (भाव-शब्दः प्रायः पुं), सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मनुष्यस्य भावः)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• पापचिह्नाः: marked with sin
• पापचिह्नाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापचिह्न (प्रातिपदिक) = पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + चिह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (पापं चिह्नं येषाम्/पापचिह्नः)

• भवन्ति: become/are
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि: will explain/tell fully
• सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्गः सम्+प्र

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (शृणु-ष्व)

• एकमनाः: with single-minded attention
• एकमनाः: Sambodhana-visheṣaṇa (Vocative qualifier/सम्बोधन-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकमनस् (प्रातिपदिक) = एक (प्रातिपदिक) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (एकं मनः यस्य)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like narrator addresses a seated king, raising a hand in teaching gesture, with a subtle backdrop suggesting the threshold between human world and the realm of judgment; the mood is solemn and instructive.

Characters & Entities

• Nṛpa (King)
• Manuṣya-bhāva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma leaves discernible imprints; spiritual ethics are not abstract but manifest in embodied consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None in this verse; it transitions into a teaching section within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Attentive listening to dharma teaching (śravaṇa) is urged; no specific rite is detailed here.