Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

गर्भ उवाच । वासुदेवं प्रतिभुवं यदि मे त्वं प्रयच्छसि । इदानीं यत्स्वयं तन्मे जन्म स्यान्नान्यथा द्विज

Transliteration

garbha uvāca | vāsudevaṃ pratibhuvaṃ yadi me tvaṃ prayacchasi | idānīṃ yatsvayaṃ tanme janma syānnānyathā dvija

Translation

ഗർഭം പറഞ്ഞു—നീ എനിക്ക് വാസുദേവനെയേ പ്രതിഭുവായി (ജാമ്യക്കാരൻ/രക്ഷകൻ) നൽകുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, ഇപ്പോൾ അവന്റെ സ്വന്തം ഇച്ഛപ്രകാരം എന്റെ ജനനം അങ്ങനെ തന്നെയാകട്ടെ; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ വേണ്ട, ഹേ ദ്വിജ.

Word by Word

• गर्भः: Garbha
• गर्भः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वासुदेवम्: Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• वासुदेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रतिभुवम्: as guarantor; surety
• प्रतिभुवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिभुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य-सम्बन्धे (appositional)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Clause linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभावार्थे शर्तसूचक (conditional particle)

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रयच्छसि: you give; you grant
• प्रयच्छसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इदानीम्: now
• इदानीम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इदानीम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• स्वयम्: oneself; personally
• स्वयम्: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक (reflexive adverb)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-प्रत्यय (correlative)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्यात्: may be; should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Garbha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A dvija (likely Vyāsa or a brāhmaṇa interlocutor in the episode)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A speaking garbha—depicted as a small radiant being within a lotus-womb—declares a conditional vow: only if Vāsudeva is granted as surety will birth proceed; the scene is mystical, emphasizing divine contract and surrender.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation-oriented life is sought only under divine guardianship—grace is presented as the safeguard against māyā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a conditional request for divine protection.