Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

माययोत्पत्तिमायांति गुणाः सत्त्वादयस्त्रयः । तैरेव देहा जायंते जातास्तल्लक्षणाश्रयाः

Transliteration

māyayotpattimāyāṃti guṇāḥ sattvādayastrayaḥ | taireva dehā jāyaṃte jātāstallakṣaṇāśrayāḥ

Translation

മായയാൽ സത്ത്വാദി ത്രിഗുണങ്ങൾ ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുന്നു; അവയാൽ തന്നെയാണ് ദേഹങ്ങൾ ജനിക്കുന്നത്, ജനിച്ചവർ ആ ഗുണലക്ഷണങ്ങളെ ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• māyayā: by māyā
• māyayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• utpattim: origin/production
• utpattim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utpatti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• āyānti: come/attain
• āyānti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

• guṇāḥ: the qualities
• guṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• sattva-ādayaḥ: sattva and the rest
• sattva-ādayaḥ: Apposition (Sāmānādhikaraṇya/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘sattva etc.’)

• trayaḥ: three
• trayaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (अवधारण)

• dehāḥ: bodies
• dehāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• jāyante: are born/arise
• jāyante: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Plural

• jātāḥ: born
• jātāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jan (धातु) + jāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; dehāḥ iti viśeṣya

• tat-lakṣaṇa-āśrayāḥ: resting on their characteristics
• tat-lakṣaṇa-āśrayāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘having as support the characteristics of those (guṇas)’)

Speaker

Ṛṣabha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic Māyā as a veiling goddess unfurls three streams (white/red/black) that condense into varied bodies—deva, human, animal—each bearing distinct guṇa signatures.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣabha
• Māyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Embodiment is guṇa-made through Māyā; recognizing guṇas helps one move toward freedom from their sway.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is metaphysical explanation.