Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

सृगाल उवाच । अहं पूर्वभवे ह्यासं ब्राह्मणो वेदपारगः

Transliteration

sṛgāla uvāca | ahaṃ pūrvabhave hyāsaṃ brāhmaṇo vedapāragaḥ

Translation

สุนัขจิ้งจอกกล่าวว่า “ในชาติปางก่อน ข้าพเจ้าเป็นพราหมณ์แท้จริง ผู้ข้ามถึงฝั่งไกลแห่งพระเวทแล้ว”

Word by Word

• sṛgālaḥ: the jackal
• sṛgālaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛgāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pūrva-bhave: in a former existence
• pūrva-bhave: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—'पूर्वे भवे'

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• āsam: was
• āsam: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अहम् इत्यस्य विशेष्य-सम्बन्धः (predicate nominative)

• veda-pāragaḥ: one who has mastered the Veda
• veda-pāragaḥ: Kartā-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + pāraga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—'वेदस्य पारगः' (knower/master of the Veda), ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sṛgāla (jackal; narrating his past birth)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The jackal speaks with lowered head; a faint overlay/flashback motif shows him as a brāhmaṇa reciting Veda, juxtaposed with his present form amid ash.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic learning is honored, yet the narrative implies that conduct (dharma) ultimately determines one’s destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-khaṇḍa’s sacred landscape frames the account, pointing to the dharma-teachings associated with the Setu (Rāmeśvara region).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it begins the jackal’s confession about karmic causation.