Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अथानुसृत्य सहसा तीक्ष्णतुंडो विहंगमः । त्वां निहत्य निपात्याधो मांसमादाय जग्मिवान्

Transliteration

athānusṛtya sahasā tīkṣṇatuṃḍo vihaṃgamaḥ | tvāṃ nihatya nipātyādho māṃsamādāya jagmivān

Translation

പിന്നീട് പെട്ടെന്നു മൂർച്ചയുള്ള കൊക്കുള്ള പക്ഷി പിന്തുടർന്ന് വന്ന് നിന്നെ കൊന്ന് നിലത്തേക്ക് വീഴ്ത്തി; മാംസം എടുത്തുകൊണ്ട് പറന്നുപോയി.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भार्थक-निपात

• अनुसृत्य: having followed
• अनुसृत्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु√सृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); ‘अनुसृत्य’ = अनुगत्य/पश्चात् गत्वा

• सहसा: suddenly
• सहसा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of suddenness)

• तीक्ष्णतुंडः: sharp-beaked
• तीक्ष्णतुंडः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण + तुण्ड (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तीक्ष्णं तुण्डं यस्य (कर्मधारय)

• विहंगमः: a bird
• विहंगमः: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विहंगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निहत्य: having killed/struck down
• निहत्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); ‘निहत्य’ = हत्वा

• निपात्य: having thrown down
• निपात्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); causative-sense possible by context ‘पातयित्वा’ though form is simple gerund; ‘निपात्य’ = अधः पातयित्वा/पातयित्वा

• अधः: downwards
• अधः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Direction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक (downwards)

• मांसम्: flesh
• मांसम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); ‘आदाय’ = गृहीत्वा

• जग्मिवान्: went away
• जग्मिवान्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (perfect participle/agentive); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘जग्मिवान्’ = गतवान्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; continuing the account of death and karmic consequence)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīgiri-Śivālaya precinct

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sudden swoop of a sharp-beaked bird strikes a person to the ground near a temple courtyard; the moment is frozen between violence and sacred setting—temple flagstaff and shrine silhouette in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Vihaṅgama (bird)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life is fragile; sudden death underscores the need to seek refuge in dharma and sacred practice without delay.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Śrīgiri/Śiva-temple setting implied by the surrounding passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated here; it narrates a death-event that frames the later spiritual outcome.