Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

सतिर्यक्पशुपक्षीकं स्वेदाण्डजजरायुजम् । एतदण्डं पुराणेषु प्रथमं परिकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

satiryakpaśupakṣīkaṃ svedāṇḍajajarāyujam | etadaṇḍaṃ purāṇeṣu prathamaṃ parikīrtitam

Translation

तस्मात् तिर्यक्पशुपक्ष्यादयः स्वेदाण्डजजरायुजाः प्रजाः समुत्पन्नाः। एतदण्डं पुराणेषु प्रथममिति परिकीर्तितम्॥

Word by Word

• स-तिर्यक्-पशु-पक्षीकम्: including animals, beasts, and birds
• स-तिर्यक्-पशु-पक्षीकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सहितार्थ) + tiryak (तिर्यक्) + paśu (पशु) + pakṣin (पक्षिन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; सहितार्थ-समास (including animals, beasts, and birds)

• स्वेद-अण्डज-जरायुजम्: (beings) born of sweat, eggs, and womb
• स्वेद-अण्डज-जरायुजम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sveda (स्वेद) + aṇḍaja (अण्डज) + jarāyuja (जरायुज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; द्वन्द्वसमास (sweat-born, egg-born, and womb-born)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अण्डम्: cosmic egg/egg
• अण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पुराणेषु: in the Purāṇas
• पुराणेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• प्रथमम्: first/firstly
• प्रथमम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण/क्रियाविशेषणवत् (as ‘firstly’)

• परिकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/described
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + kīrt (कीर्त् धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘is proclaimed/has been described’

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From the opened cosmic egg, streams of life emerge: birds in flight, animals on land, and subtle beings—each labeled by mode of birth—arranged as a cosmic bestiary.

Characters & Entities

• Tiryak (animals)
• Pakṣin (birds)
• Svedaja
• Aṇḍaja
• Jarāyuja
• Purāṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All life-forms, across modes of birth, are encompassed within sacred cosmic order—encouraging reverence for living beings as part of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified; the verse is doctrinal within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly.