Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

नरोऽपि तेन वृक्षेण साकमुज्जीवितोऽभवत् । अथाब्रवीत्तक्षकस्तं काश्यपं मंत्रकोविदम्

Transliteration

naro'pi tena vṛkṣeṇa sākamujjīvito'bhavat | athābravīttakṣakastaṃ kāśyapaṃ maṃtrakovidam

Translation

ആ വൃക്ഷത്തോടൊപ്പം ആ മനുഷ്യനും വീണ്ടും ജീവിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് തക്ഷകൻ മന്ത്രത്തിൽ പ്രാവീണ്യമുള്ള കാശ്യപനോട് പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• naraḥ: the man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (also/even)

• tena: by that (tree/it)
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• vṛkṣeṇa: by the tree
• vṛkṣeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• sākam: together (with)
• sākam: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक अव्यय (with/together)

• ujjīvitaḥ: revived
• ujjīvitaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-jīvita (प्रातिपदिक; √जीव् + क्त)
• Form: क्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; विशेषण (naraḥ)

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु √भू, भवने)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु √ब्रू, वचने)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन

• takṣakaḥ: Takṣaka
• takṣakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: takṣaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• tam: to him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• kāśyapam: Kāśyapa
• kāśyapam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśyapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• maṃtrakovidam: skilled in mantras
• maṃtrakovidam: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra-kovida (प्रातिपदिक; mantra + kovida)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (kāśyapam)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Assembly of sages/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The revived man rises as the tree stands green again; Takṣaka, radiant and formidable, approaches Kāśyapa to speak—serpentine aura, jewel-like sheen, and a charged stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Takṣaka
• Kāśyapa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The narrative contrasts spiritual power (mantra) with worldly fear, setting the stage for choices driven by dharma versus self-interest.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-khaṇḍa provides the sacred-geography setting; this verse itself is narrative and does not specify a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse introduces dialogue following a mantric act.