Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

उलूकोहं त्रयोविंशे चतुर्विशे वनद्विपः । पंचविंशे भवे चास्मिञ्जातोहं ब्रह्मराक्षसः

Transliteration

ulūkohaṃ trayoviṃśe caturviśe vanadvipaḥ | paṃcaviṃśe bhave cāsmiñjātohaṃ brahmarākṣasaḥ

Translation

ในชาติที่ยี่สิบสาม ข้ากลายเป็นนกฮูก; ชาติที่ยี่สิบสี่เป็นช้างป่า. และในชาติที่ยี่สิบห้า ณ ที่นี้ ข้าเกิดเป็นพรหมรากษส (brahmarākṣasa).

Word by Word

• उलूकः: an owl
• उलूकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उलूक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रयोविंशे: in the twenty-third (birth)
• त्रयोविंशे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + विंश (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्या-विशेषण ‘twenty-third’

• चतुर्विशे: in the twenty-fourth (birth)
• चतुर्विशे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + विंश (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्या-विशेषण ‘twenty-fourth’

• वनद्विपः: a forest-elephant
• वनद्विपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + द्विप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वनस्य द्विपः)

• पञ्चविंशे: in the twenty-fifth (birth)
• पञ्चविंशे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (प्रातिपदिक) + विंश (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्या-विशेषण ‘twenty-fifth’

• भवे: I become / I am (born)
• भवे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• अस्मिन्: in this (birth/state)
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक-लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular)

• जातः: born
• जातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मराक्षसः: a brahmarākṣasa (brahmin-demon)
• ब्रह्मराक्षसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (ब्रह्मराक्षसः = ब्राह्मण-राक्षसः/‘brahmin-demon’)

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (same narrator, now identifying as brahmarākṣasa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A being recounts becoming owl and wild elephant, culminating in birth as a brahmarākṣasa—suggesting a terrifying, hungry, liminal figure in a forest haunted by karmic residue.

Characters & Entities

• ulūka (owl)
• vanadvipa (wild elephant)
• brahmarākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual downfall can culminate in the brahmarākṣasa condition; dharma and purity protect one’s higher station.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is directly mentioned.