Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ततश्च पशुपालस्तु दशार्णाधिपतेः सुतः । संजातस्तत्प्रभावेन पूर्वजातिमनुस्मरन्

Transliteration

tataśca paśupālastu daśārṇādhipateḥ sutaḥ | saṃjātastatprabhāvena pūrvajātimanusmaran

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ആ പശുപാലകൻ ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ ദശാർണാധിപതിയുടെ പുത്രനായി ജനിച്ചു; മുൻജന്മം ഓർത്തുകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘ततः’ = thereafter

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• paśupālaḥ: a cowherd
• paśupālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśupāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘पशुपाल’ = cowherd/herdsman

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• daśārṇa-adhipateḥ: of the king of Daśārṇa
• daśārṇa-adhipateḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśārṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (daśārṇānām adhipatiḥ) = of the ruler of Daśārṇa

• sutaḥ: son
• sutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘सुत’ = son

• saṃjātaḥ: was born
• saṃjātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + jan (धातु) → saṃjāta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); प्रथमा एकवचन पुंलिङ्ग; ‘सुतः’ इति विशेषणम्; अर्थः ‘उत्पन्नः’ (born)

• tat-prabhāvena: by that influence
• tat-prabhāvena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (tasya prabhāvaḥ) = by that power/effect

• pūrva-jātim: his former birth
• pūrva-jātim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (pūrvā sā jātiḥ) = former birth/state

• anusmaran: remembering
• anusmaran: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anu + smṛ (धातु) → anusmarat (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ); प्रथमा एकवचन पुंलिङ्ग; ‘सुतः/पशुपालः’ इति विशेषणम्; अर्थः ‘स्मरन्’ (remembering)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A former shepherd is reborn as a prince of Daśārṇa, awakening with remembrance of a previous life—shown as a flashback overlay of pastoral life and the sacred rite.

Characters & Entities

• Daśārṇa
• Paśupāla
• Rebirth

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-contact and sacred acts can elevate one’s future birth and even awaken remembrance of past lives, showcasing the transformative ‘prabhāva’ of holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed tīrtha of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya episode is implied as the source of ‘tatprabhāva’ (its power).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it states the result (phala) of the earlier pradakṣiṇā/tīrtha-contact.