Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

इहैव कस्य कस्यैव कर्मणः पापकस्य च । प्रभावात्कीदृशो जायेत्कमठैतद्वदास्ति चेत्

Transliteration

ihaiva kasya kasyaiva karmaṇaḥ pāpakasya ca | prabhāvātkīdṛśo jāyetkamaṭhaitadvadāsti cet

Translation

अत्रैव कस्य कस्यैव पापकर्मणः प्रभावात् कीदृशो देहभावो जायेत? हे कमठ, एतद् यदि ज्ञेयम् अस्ति तर्हि वद।

Word by Word

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कस्य: of which/whose
• कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• कस्य: of which (of what kind)
• कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन (पुनरुक्ति—वितर्क/वितरणार्थ)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कर्मणः: of the action/deed
• कर्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• पापकस्य: sinful
• पापकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying कर्मणः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रभावात्: from the effect/power (of it)
• प्रभावात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Ablative/हेतु-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन

• कीदृशः: what kind (of person/result)
• कीदृशः: Kartā (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (predicative)

• जायेत्: would be born/arise
• जायेत्: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• कमठ: O Kamaṭha
• कमठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• वद: say/tell
• वद: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conditional particle)

Speaker

Atithi

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kamaṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seeker respectfully questions Kamaṭha about which sins lead to which bodily afflictions, set in a quiet āśrama-like setting with palm-leaf manuscripts and a didactic atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Atithi
• Kamaṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma can manifest not only after death but also as visible consequences in embodied life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned; the verse introduces a moral-causal catalogue rather than a site-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it asks for an explanation of karmic cause-and-effect.