Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

कालेन निधनं यातो यस्तस्या नाट्यमर्कटः । सोभूत्तव कुमारोऽसौ कुवकुटो मंत्रिणः सुतः

Transliteration

kālena nidhanaṃ yāto yastasyā nāṭyamarkaṭaḥ | sobhūttava kumāro'sau kuvakuṭo maṃtriṇaḥ sutaḥ

Translation

وقت گزرنے پر اُس ناٹک کے بندر کی موت ہو گئی۔ وہی تمہارا یہ بیٹا بن گیا، اور وہ (پہلا) مرغا وزیر کا بیٹا بن گیا۔

Word by Word

• कालेन: by time, in time
• कालेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; निमित्त/हेतु-अर्थे (by time, in course of time)

• निधनम्: death
• निधनम्: Gati-karma (Goal of motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• यातः: went/attained
• यातः: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; अर्थः—"gone/attained"

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• नाट्य: dramatic
• नाट्य: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाट्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• मर्कटः: the performing monkey
• मर्कटः: Karta (Apposition to यः/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्कट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; समासः—नाट्य + मर्कटः ("the performing/acting monkey")

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थः—"became"

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कुमारः: son, boy
• कुमारः: Karta (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• असौ: that one
• असौ: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; दूरवाचक (demonstrative: "that")

• कुवकुटः: Kuvakuṭa (name; lit. "Ku-rooster")
• कुवकुटः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कु + कुक्कुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; समासः—कु(अल्प/हीन/विशेषण-पूर्वपद) + कुक्कुटः; नामरूपेण (proper name-like)

• मन्त्रिणः: of the minister
• मन्त्रिणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

Speaker

Parāśara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage points out two boys in a noble setting, revealing their former identities: the theatre-monkey now as one boy, the rooster now as the minister’s son—an uncanny unveiling of hidden history.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• markaṭa (monkey)
• kukkuṭa (rooster)
• maṃtrin (minister)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Beings migrate through births; prior actions and associations become causes for future embodiments and circumstances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on rebirth identification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is explanatory narrative about prior forms and current births.