Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 114

Devanagari script

जायते योनिकोटीषु मृतः कर्मवशात्पुनः । देहभेदेन यः पुंसां वियोगः कर्मसंख्यया

Transliteration

jāyate yonikoṭīṣu mṛtaḥ karmavaśātpunaḥ | dehabhedena yaḥ puṃsāṃ viyogaḥ karmasaṃkhyayā

Translation

Didorong oleh karma, orang yang telah mati lahir semula di antara jutaan rahim. Bagi manusia, perpisahan yang disebut “kematian” hanyalah pertukaran jasad, berlaku menurut hitungan dan kekuatan perbuatan sendiri.

Word by Word

• जायते: is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• योनिकोटीषु: in millions of wombs/births
• योनिकोटीषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (योन्याः कोटयः)

• मृतः: dead (one)
• मृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle: dead)

• कर्मवशात्: due to the power of karma
• कर्मवशात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-भावे पञ्चमी (ablatival adverbial): ‘-वशात्’; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कर्मणः वशः)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb: again)

• देहभेदेन: by separation of the body
• देहभेदेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (देहस्य भेदः)

• यः: which/who
• यः: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• पुंसाम्: of men/of people
• पुंसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वियोगः: separation
• वियोगः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वियोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कर्मसंख्यया: by the count/measure of karmas
• कर्मसंख्यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कर्मणां संख्या)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wheel of saṃsāra with countless womb-symbols; a soul-figure carried by a ledger-bearing Karma; beside it, a serene Śiva-liṅga radiating a path out of the wheel.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Death is not an end but a karmically governed transition; one should live dharmically to shape future births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it presents a general Purāṇic teaching on karma and rebirth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the implied discipline is ethical living (dharma) to purify karma.