Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 122

Devanagari script

विप्रजन्मनि तस्यैव प्रभावाद्व्याससंगमः । ततः सर्वरुतज्ञो मां प्राहार्च्यः कीटभाषया

Transliteration

viprajanmani tasyaiva prabhāvādvyāsasaṃgamaḥ | tataḥ sarvarutajño māṃ prāhārcyaḥ kīṭabhāṣayā

Translation

അതേ ബ്രാഹ്മണജന്മത്തിലെ പുണ്യപ്രഭാവം കൊണ്ടു എനിക്ക് വ്യാസമുനിയുമായി സംഗമം ലഭിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് സർവ്വധ്വനി-ഭാഷാജ്ഞനായ പൂജ്യൻ എന്നോട് കീടഭാഷയിൽ സംസാരിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• विप्रजन्मनि: in (a) brahmin birth
• विप्रजन्मनि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular; समासः: विप्रजन्मन् = ‘brahmin-birth’

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun, Genitive, Singular

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• प्रभावात्: due to (the) power
• प्रभावात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; Ablative singular: ‘due to/from the power’

• व्याससंगमः: meeting with Vyāsa
• व्याससंगमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; समासः: व्याससंगम = ‘meeting with Vyāsa’

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb): ‘then/thereupon’

• सर्वरुतज्ञः: knower of all sounds
• सर्वरुतज्ञः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + रुत + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; समासः: सर्वरुतज्ञ = ‘knower of all sounds/cries’

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√अह्/√ब्रू (धातु; ‘to say’)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्ण), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular: ‘said’

• अर्च्यः: worthy of worship
• अर्च्यः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च्य (प्रातिपदिक; √अर्च् + यत्)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘worthy of worship’ (qualifying Vyāsa)

• कीटभाषया: in the language of an insect
• कीटभाषया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीट + भाषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular; समासः: कीटभाषा = ‘insect-language’

Speaker

Unspecified narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, venerable and radiant, speaks gently; the speech is shown as subtle sound-waves reaching an insect, indicating ‘knower of all utterances’ addressing in insect-language.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past merit (puṇya) is never lost; it can mature as saving contact with a great sage even in a degraded birth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī-bank milieu frames the event, reinforcing sacred geography as a stage for liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse points to the fruit of prior dharma performed in a brāhmaṇa life.