Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सापवादो रणं त्यक्त्वा मृतो यस्मान्नराधिप । सप्तयोनिषु ते जन्म तस्माज्जातं मया सह

Transliteration

sāpavādo raṇaṃ tyaktvā mṛto yasmānnarādhipa | saptayoniṣu te janma tasmājjātaṃ mayā saha

Translation

Wahai penguasa manusia, kerana dia mati setelah meninggalkan medan perang—dengan menanggung celaan—maka dia terlahir melalui tujuh rahim; demikianlah terjadi bahawa dia dilahirkan bersama denganku dalam perjalanan kelahiran semula.

Word by Word

• सापवादः: (he) with reproach / accused
• सापवादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-अपवाद (प्रातिपदिक; स + अपवाद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘अपवादयुक्तः’ (with reproach/accusation)

• रणम्: battle
• रणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having abandoned’

• मृतः: dead
• मृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (प्रातिपदिक; √मृ धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘dead’

• यस्मात्: from whom/which
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘नराणाम् अधिपः’

• सप्तयोनिषु: in seven births/wombs
• सप्तयोनिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त-योनि (प्रातिपदिक; सप्त + योनि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; ‘सप्त योनयः’ (seven wombs/births)

• ते: your
• ते: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम—‘thy/your’

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

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम—‘from that/therefore’

• जातम्: born
• जातम्: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात (प्रातिपदिक; √जन् धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘born/produced’ (agreeing with जन्म)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम—‘by me/with me’

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahartha (Accompaniment)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश/सह-योगार्थक (with; accompaniment marker)

Speaker

A female figure speaking to the king (implied by later verses: ‘tvāṃ vinā me patiḥ…’)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (narādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A warrior drops his weapons and turns away from the battlefield; shadowy figures point in reproach; behind him, a symbolic sequence of seven wombs/embryonic forms indicates repeated rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• narādhipa (king)
• raṇa (battle)
• sapta-yoni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions that violate one’s dharma—here, deserting battle—can yield blame and prolonged karmic consequence across repeated births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is situated within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya of Prabhāsa, where karmic stories underscore the tirtha’s moral framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the verse teaches karmic causality tied to dharma.