Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

जातो भगवता साक्षाद्व्यासेनामिततेजसा । पाराशर्येण विप्रेण दासीगर्भसमुद्भवः

Transliteration

jāto bhagavatā sākṣādvyāsenāmitatejasā | pārāśaryeṇa vipreṇa dāsīgarbhasamudbhavaḥ

Translation

അവൻ സാക്ഷാൽ ഭഗവാനാൽ തന്നെ, അപാരതേജസ്സുള്ള വ്യാസൻ—പരാശരപുത്രനായ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ—ദാസിയുടെ ഗർഭത്തിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• jātaḥ: was born
• jātaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘born’

• bhagavatā: by the Lord
• bhagavatā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/हेतु (agent/instrumental)

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘directly, in person’

• vyāsena: by Vyāsa
• vyāsena: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/हेतु

• amitatejasā: of immeasurable splendor
• amitatejasā: Karana (Qualifier of instrument/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amita (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘अमितं तेजः यस्य’ (of immeasurable splendor), विशेषणम् (qualifying vyāsena)

• pārāśaryeṇa: by Pārāśarya (Vyāsa)
• pārāśaryeṇa: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārāśarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/हेतु; (patronymic: son of Parāśara)

• vipreṇa: by the brāhmaṇa
• vipreṇa: Karana (Apposition/करण-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण; apposition to pārāśaryeṇa

• dāsīgarbhasamudbhavaḥ: one born from a maidservant’s womb
• dāsīgarbhasamudbhavaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāsī (प्रातिपदिक) + garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘दास्याः गर्भात् समुद्भवः’ (born from the womb of a maidservant)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained genealogical tableau: radiant Vyāsa (Parāśara’s son) as the divine progenitor; the humble mother (dāsī) depicted with dignity; infant Vidura marked by a subtle halo of dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Parāśara
• dāsī (maidservant)
• Vidura (implied by continuity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual greatness is not limited by social origin; divine purpose manifests through varied births in accordance with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya uses this lineage narrative to deepen the sacred authority of the kṣetra’s tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes identity and origin within the broader dharma narrative.