Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

आयुः सुखं च दुःख च पुण्यं पापं श्रुतं धनम् । ललाटे लिखितं धात्रा वहञ्जंतुः प्रजायते

Transliteration

āyuḥ sukhaṃ ca duḥkha ca puṇyaṃ pāpaṃ śrutaṃ dhanam | lalāṭe likhitaṃ dhātrā vahañjaṃtuḥ prajāyate

Translation

อายุ สุขและทุกข์ บุญและบาป ความรู้และทรัพย์—สิ่งใดที่ผู้ทรงสร้างได้จารึกไว้บนหน้าผาก สัตว์โลกย่อมถือเอาสิ่งนั้นมาเกิด

Word by Word

• आयुः: lifespan
• आयुः: Karta (Listed item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karta (Listed item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (and)

• दुःखम्: sorrow
• दुःखम्: Karta (Listed item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Listed item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Listed item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• श्रुतम्: learning; knowledge
• श्रुतम्: Karta (Listed item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruta (कृदन्त, √śru धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त) ‘श्रुत’ = learning/what is heard; नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karta (Listed item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• ललाटे: on the forehead
• ललाटे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lalāṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• लिखितम्: written
• लिखितम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: likhita (कृदन्त, √likh धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; (एतानि इति समष्ट्यर्थे)

• धात्रा: by the ordainer (Dhātṛ)
• धात्रा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्, पुल्लिङ्गः; करण/कर्तृवाचकः (instrumental: “by the creator/ordainer”)

• वहन्: bearing; carrying
• वहन्: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vahant (कृदन्त, √vah धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्तः (शतृ); प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्, पुल्लिङ्गः; जन्तु-विशेषणम्

• जन्तुः: a creature; being
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jantu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्, पुल्लिङ्गः

• प्रजायते: is born; comes into being
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (जन् धातु) उपसर्गः प्र
• Form: लट्-लकारः, प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्; ‘प्र+√जन्’

Speaker

Unknown (context not provided; likely a Purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhātṛ (Creator) inscribing a newborn’s forehead with a stylus of light; around, symbols of lifespan (lamp), wealth (coins), learning (manuscript), puṇya-pāpa (scales), joy-sorrow (paired masks).

Characters & Entities

• Dhātṛ (Creator/Ordainer)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life’s allotments are carried into birth as ordained destiny; therefore one should act righteously and seek liberation beyond fate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse implies cultivating dharma, study, and devotion rather than relying on fortune alone.