Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

जनने त्रिविधं कर्म हेतुर्जंतोर्भवेत्किल । पुण्यं पापं च मिश्रं च सत्त्वराजसतामसम्

Transliteration

janane trividhaṃ karma heturjaṃtorbhavetkila | puṇyaṃ pāpaṃ ca miśraṃ ca sattvarājasatāmasam

Translation

ในคราวเกิด เหตุที่กำหนดคติของสัตว์โลกกล่าวกันว่าเป็นกรรมสามประการ คือ บุญ บาป และปนกัน—สอดคล้องกับคุณะ สัตตวะ รชัส และตมัส

Word by Word

• जनने: in birth; at the time of birth
• जनने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्रिविधम्: threefold
• त्रिविधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of ‘कर्म’; द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-प्रकृतिः (‘threefold’)

• कर्म: action; karma
• कर्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हेतुः: cause
• हेतुः: Karta (Predicate-noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जन्तोः: of the creature
• जन्तोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• भवेत्: would be; is (said to be)
• भवेत्: Kriya (Copular/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• किल: indeed; it is said
• किल: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: indeed/traditionally)

• पुण्यम्: merit; virtuous (karma)
• पुण्यम्: Apposition (Karma-type/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); ‘कर्म’स्य भेदः

• पापम्: sin; evil (karma)
• पापम्: Apposition (Karma-type/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); ‘कर्म’स्य भेदः

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

• मिश्रम्: mixed (karma)
• मिश्रम्: Apposition (Karma-type/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिश्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); ‘कर्म’स्य भेदः

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

• सत्त्वराजसतामसम्: (of the nature of) sattva, rajas, and tamas
• सत्त्वराजसतामसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + राजस (प्रातिपदिक) + तामस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of ‘कर्म’; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (sattva+rajas+tamas)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija (questioner)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kamaṭha explains the triad of karma—puṇya, pāpa, miśra—mapped to sattva, rajas, tamas, as the causal seed of birth.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rebirth follows the moral and psychological quality of one’s karma—merit, sin, or a mixture—shaped by the guṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it presents a general dharma teaching on karma and rebirth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse frames ethics and inner qualities (guṇas) as the determinant of destiny.