Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

वेतालत्वं त्यजेन्नूनं तदा गालवशापजम् । सुकर्णस्तद्वचः श्रुत्वा भ्रात्रा वेतालरूपिणा

Transliteration

vetālatvaṃ tyajennūnaṃ tadā gālavaśāpajam | sukarṇastadvacaḥ śrutvā bhrātrā vetālarūpiṇā

Translation

แล้วเขาย่อมละสภาพเป็นเวตาละ อันเกิดจากคำสาปของคาลวะโดยแท้ ครั้นสุกรรณะได้ฟังถ้อยคำนั้น พร้อมด้วยพี่น้องผู้มีรูปเป็นเวตาละ…

Word by Word

• वेतालत्वम्: the state of being a vetāla
• वेतालत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेताल + त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; वेतालस्य भावः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/भाववाचक-त्वान्त

• त्यजेत्: should abandon
• त्यजेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नूनम्: certainly
• नूनम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (certainly)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• गालवशापजम्: born from Gālava’s curse
• गालवशापजम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गालव + शाप + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; गालवस्य शापात् जातम् इति षष्ठी+पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुषभावः; वेतालत्वम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सुकर्णः: Sukarṇa
• सुकर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; वचः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम् (‘that’)

• वचः: words; speech
• वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘speech/words’

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) अव्ययभाव; ‘having heard’

• भ्रात्रा: by (his) brother
• भ्रात्रा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/सहकारकभावे (by/with the brother)

• वेतालरूपिणा: in vetāla-form; vetāla-shaped
• वेतालरूपिणा: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेताल + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; वेतालरूपः यस्य सः इति बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः, रूपिण्-प्रत्ययान्त; भ्रात्रा इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Vidyādhara-kulādhipa (first half); Narrator (second half continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahattara tīrtha near Cakratīrtha (implied)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vetāla-formed elder brother, shadowy and uncanny, hears the promise of release from Gālava’s curse; Sukarṇa listens and prepares to act swiftly.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Sukarṇa
• Elder brother (vetāla)
• Vetāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even severe afflictions caused by a sage’s curse are shown as curable through divinely sanctioned tīrtha practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed “mahattara” tīrtha near Cakratīrtha in the Setu-kṣetra region, whose snāna ends the vetāla condition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) at the great tīrtha is indicated as the means to abandon vetālatva.