Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

एवमाद्यैर्नरः पापैरुत्क्रान्तैः समनंतरम् । शरीरं यातनार्थाय पूर्वाकारमवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

evamādyairnaraḥ pāpairutkrāntaiḥ samanaṃtaram | śarīraṃ yātanārthāya pūrvākāramavāpnuyāt

Translation

ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള പാപങ്ങളോടെ ദേഹം വിട്ടാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ ഉടൻ തന്നെ യാതന അനുഭവിക്കാനായി മുൻപുപോലെ അതേ തരത്തിലുള്ള ദേഹം വീണ്ടും പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in this way)

• आद्यैः: by such (and similar)
• आद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् पापैः-शब्दस्य (beginning/aforementioned etc.)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (पापम्); तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; साधन/हेतुवाचक

• उत्क्रान्तैः: committed
• उत्क्रान्तैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्-क्रम् (धातु) → उत्क्रान्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग तृतीया-बहुवचन; विशेषणम् पापैः-शब्दस्य; अर्थः “committed/perpetrated”

• समनन्तरम्: immediately
• समनन्तरम्: Sambandha (Temporal adverb/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय; कालवाचक (immediately/without interval)

• शरीरम्: a body
• शरीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यातनार्थाय: for (the purpose of) torment
• यातनार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (“यातनायाः अर्थः”/“यातनार्थम्” = for the purpose of torment)

• पूर्वाकारम्: the former form
• पूर्वाकारम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (“पूर्वः आकारः” = former form)

• अवाप्नुयात्: should obtain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; अर्थः “should obtain”

Speaker

Mahākāla (contextual—Kaumārikākhaṇḍa dialogue; immediate speaker not marked in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A liminal scene: the departing soul (preta-like) is seized by yamadūtas; then a shadowy ‘re-formed’ body appears, suggesting re-embodiment for suffering.

Characters & Entities

• pāpa (sin)
• yātanā (torment)
• śarīra (body)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions follow the soul; sinful tendencies can lead to immediate consequences in embodied states of suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha appears; the verse explains karmic aftermath rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it prepares the ground for turning toward Śiva as refuge in the next verse.