Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । प्रेतयोनौ प्रवृत्तानां केन नामानि कृत्स्नशः । युष्माकं निर्मितान्येवमेतन्मे कौतुकं महत्

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | pretayonau pravṛttānāṃ kena nāmāni kṛtsnaśaḥ | yuṣmākaṃ nirmitānyevametanme kautukaṃ mahat

Translation

Gautama berkata: “Bagi mereka yang telah memasuki keadaan preta, siapakah yang menetapkan semua nama ini dengan lengkap? Bahawa nama-nama ini dibentuk demikian untuk kamu—itulah kehairanan besar bagiku.”

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• preta-yonau: in the preta-womb/state of being a preta
• preta-yonau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘प्रेतानां योनिः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• pravṛttānām: of those who have entered/engaged (in that state)
• pravṛttānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vṛt (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• kena: by whom? by what?
• kena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन

• nāmāni: names
• nāmāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (अत्र द्वितीया)

• kṛtsnaśaḥ: completely/in full
• kṛtsnaśaḥ: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛtsnaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (entirely, in full)

• yuṣmākam: of you (all)
• yuṣmākam: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• nirmitāni: made/constructed
• nirmitāni: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-mā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (अत्र प्रथमा, ‘नāmāni’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (thus/in this way)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• me: my/to me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, एकवचन (enclitic)

• kautukam: curiosity/wonder
• kautukam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mahat: great
• mahat: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (कौतुकम् इति विशेष्यस्य)

Speaker

Gautama Ṛṣi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka et al. (frame) / immediate: Gautama as questioner, pretas as respondents

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gautama, calm and radiant, addresses a cluster of pretas; his hand raised in inquiry (praśna-mudrā). The pretas appear restless; the coastal sacred landscape frames the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse prompts inquiry into moral causality: conditions after death are not random but governed by discernible principles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, the dharmic landscape where sages interrogate subtle truths and receive instructive answers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the question sets up later guidance about charity, conduct, and purity.