Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

निर्वत्र्य निरयावासाञ्चक्रे चंडालजातिकाम् । सापि भ्रष्टा यमपुराच्चांडालीगर्भमाश्रिता

Transliteration

nirvatrya nirayāvāsāñcakre caṃḍālajātikām | sāpi bhraṣṭā yamapurāccāṃḍālīgarbhamāśritā

Translation

ครั้นกำหนดให้นางอยู่ในที่พำนักแห่งนรกทั้งหลาย เขาก็ให้กำเนิดนางเป็นผู้มีชาติกำเนิดจัณฑาล และนางนั้นเอง ครั้นถูกผลักตกจากนครยม ก็เข้าไปอาศัยครรภ์ของหญิงจัณฑาลี

Word by Word

• निर्वत्र्य: having effected/after assigning
• निर्वत्र्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निर् + वत्स्/वृत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-रूप, अर्थतः ‘निर्वर्त्य/निर्वृत्य’ = having carried out/after causing

• निरयावासान्: hell-dwellings, abodes in hell
• निरयावासान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरय + आवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (निरये आवासाः/निरयस्य आवासाः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• चक्रे: made, appointed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• चाण्डालजातिकाम्: a woman of caṇḍāla caste
• चाण्डालजातिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाण्डाल + जातिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (चाण्डाली जातिका/चाण्डाल-जातिका); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: also)

• भ्रष्टा: fallen, cast down
• भ्रष्टा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रंश् (धातु) → भ्रष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यमपुरात्: from Yama’s city
• यमपुरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमपुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (यमस्य पुरम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• चाण्डालीगर्भम्: a caṇḍālī’s womb
• चाण्डालीगर्भम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाण्डाली + गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चाण्डाल्याः गर्भः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आश्रिता: having entered, having resorted to
• आश्रिता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having taken refuge/entered’

Speaker

Narrator (context not specified in snippet; Purāṇic narrative voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark transition: Yama’s attendants lead the soul away from the court toward grim hell-dwellings; then a second scene shows descent into a Caṇḍālī woman’s womb, symbolizing rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Yamapura
• Niraya (hell)
• Caṇḍāla
• Caṇḍālī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma frames rebirth and suffering as outcomes of prior actions, administered under cosmic justice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No pilgrimage site is praised; the verse concerns post-mortem judgment and rebirth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.