Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 129

Devanagari script

ततः काकश्रृगालादियोनिष्वस्मि यदाऽभवम् । तदातदा समागम्य व्यासो मां स्मारयच्च तत्

Transliteration

tataḥ kākaśrṛgālādiyoniṣvasmi yadā'bhavam | tadātadā samāgamya vyāso māṃ smārayacca tat

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ഞാൻ കാക്ക, കുറുനരി മുതലായ യോനികളിൽ ജനിച്ചപ്പോൾ, അപ്പോഴപ്പോഴായി വ്യാസൻ വന്ന് ആ (രക്ഷാകര) വചനത്തെ എനിക്ക് ഓർമ്മിപ്പിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'then/from there')

• kāka-śṛgāla-ādi-yoniṣu: in wombs/births of crows, jackals, etc.
• kāka-śṛgāla-ādi-yoniṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāka (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛgāla (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (काकशृगालादीनां योनिषु)

• asmi: I am
• asmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'when')

• abhavam: I became/was
• abhavam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• tadā: at that time (repeatedly)
• tadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (repetition for emphasis: 'again and again then')

• samāgamya: having come/approached
• samāgamya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-gam (गम् धातु) + क्त्वा (absolutive)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• smārayat: reminded (made remember)
• smārayat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (स्मृ धातु) + णिच् causative
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• tat: that (matter)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

A suffering narrator (unnamed in this snippet; within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa discourse tradition)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence of low animal births—crow and jackal prominent—yet the sage Vyāsa appears repeatedly, touching or speaking, rekindling memory like a lamp in darkness.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amid degraded births, divine guidance and remembrance of dharma can arise through the grace of sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified in this verse; the focus is the saṃsāric passage through various yonis.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the emphasis is on being reminded (smaraṇa) of saving instruction.