Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

तावज्ज्ञानं च वैराग्यं पूर्वजातिस्मृतिर्यथा । यावद्गर्भस्थितो जन्तुः सर्वोऽपि द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

tāvajjñānaṃ ca vairāgyaṃ pūrvajātismṛtiryathā | yāvadgarbhasthito jantuḥ sarvo'pi dvijasattama

Translation

ตราบใดที่สัตว์ผู้มีชีวิตยังสถิตอยู่ในครรภ์ โอ้ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐ ในเขาย่อมดำรงอยู่ทั้งญาณและไวรัคยะ พร้อมทั้งความระลึกได้ถึงชาติปางก่อน

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long / up to that extent
• तावत्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रमाणवाचक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (correlative: 'so long')

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समुच्चित-पद (with others)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• वैराग्यम्: dispassion
• वैराग्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैराग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समुच्चित-पद

• पूर्व-जाति-स्मृतिः: memory of a previous birth
• पूर्व-जाति-स्मृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पूर्वायाः जात्याः स्मृतिः)

• यथा: as / just as
• यथा: Adverbial/Connector (उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/अवधिवाचक)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्ध (correlative: 'as long as')

• गर्भ-स्थितः: situated in the womb
• गर्भ-स्थितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थित (कृदन्त, √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समास (गर्भे स्थितः)

• जन्तुः: the creature / being
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता

• सर्वः: all / entire
• सर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (जन्तुः)

• अपि: also / even
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (emphasis/also)

• द्विज-सत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विज-सत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (द्विजानां सत्तमः)

Speaker

Garbha (the unborn being in the womb)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage instructing a learned brāhmaṇa about the fetus in the womb possessing luminous knowledge and dispassion; symbolic depiction of a glowing fetus within a translucent womb aura.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches that innate wisdom and detachment can arise in liminal states, and that worldly embodiment often veils such clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as philosophical setup within the Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha is not named in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal statement about consciousness in the womb.