Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

पश्यतिस्म तथात्मानं महीतलमुपागतम् । कांपिल्यनगरे भूयः पप्रच्छात्मानमात्मना

Transliteration

paśyatisma tathātmānaṃ mahītalamupāgatam | kāṃpilyanagare bhūyaḥ papracchātmānamātmanā

Translation

تب اُس نے اپنے آپ کو زمین کی سطح پر اُترا ہوا دیکھا۔ پھر دوبارہ شہرِ کامپلیہ میں پہنچ کر، اپنے ہی دل میں غور کرتے ہوئے اپنے بارے میں خود ہی سوال کیا۔

Word by Word

• paśyati: he sees
• paśyati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• sma: indeed/then (past narrative marker)
• sma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), भूतार्थ/स्मरणार्थक (marks past narration)

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• ātmānam: himself
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• mahītalam: the surface of the earth
• mahītalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī-tala (प्रातिपदिक; मही + तल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• upāgatam: arrived/come to
• upāgatam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√gam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of mahītalam

• kāṃpilya-nagare: in the city of Kāṃpilya
• kāṃpilya-nagare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṃpilya-nagara (प्रातिपदिक; कांपिल्य + नगर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• papraccha: he asked
• papraccha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√prach (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ātmānam: himself
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ātmanā: by himself
• ātmanā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary king, newly ‘arrived’ on earth, stands at the threshold of Kāmpilya; the city appears familiar yet estranged. He pauses, eyes inward, as if seeing his own self descend and questioning his identity in the mind.

Characters & Entities

• Kāmpilya
• Indradyumna (implied by surrounding verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights self-inquiry when confronted with change—an invitation to discern what remains true amid time’s transformations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāmpilya is mentioned as a geographical setting; this verse itself does not explicitly proclaim a tīrtha-phala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative context.