Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

मानुष्यं हि स्मृताकारं सभाग्योऽस्माद्विमुच्यते । पशवः पक्षिणः कीटाः कृमयश्च यथासुखम्

Transliteration

mānuṣyaṃ hi smṛtākāraṃ sabhāgyo'smādvimucyate | paśavaḥ pakṣiṇaḥ kīṭāḥ kṛmayaśca yathāsukham

Translation

நினைவும் விவேகமும் உடைய மனிதநிலையைப் பெற்ற பாக்கியவான் இப்பந்தத்திலிருந்து விடுதலை பெறுகிறான். ஆனால் மிருகங்கள், பறவைகள், பூச்சிகள், புழுக்கள் தத்தம் இன்பத்திற்கேற்ப வாழ்கின்றன।

Word by Word

• मानुष्यम्: human (state)
• मानुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात

• स्मृताकारम्: having the form of memory/known by recollection
• स्मृताकारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛta (कृदन्त; √स्मृ) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समास: स्मृतः आकारः यस्य/यत् (तत्पुरुष; अर्थतः 'स्मृत्या ज्ञेय-स्वरूपम्')

• सभाग्यः: the fortunate one
• सभाग्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa + bhāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समास: स-भाग्य (कर्मधारय: 'fortunate')

• अस्मात्: from this (human state)
• अस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विमुच्यते: is freed/released
• विमुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद

• पशवः: animals
• पशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• पक्षिणः: birds
• पक्षिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• कीटाः: insects
• कीटाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• कृमयः: worms
• कृमयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• यथा: as/according to
• यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (as/according to)

• सुखम्: comfortably
• सुखम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (adverbial accusative: 'comfortably')

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa framing a dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A human devotee holds a palm-leaf manuscript (smṛti/śāstra) and a japa-mālā, standing between two paths: one leading to liberation light, the other to carefree animal life in a forest.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth, marked by smṛti (reflective memory), is uniquely suited for liberation; other births mainly follow instinctive comfort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives a general purāṇic teaching on embodiment and release.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes inner capacity (smṛti/viveka) rather than a named rite.