Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

तत्प्रभावादहं जातः कांतीनाथो महीपतिः । दशार्णाधिपतेः कन्या सापि जातिस्मरा सती

Transliteration

tatprabhāvādahaṃ jātaḥ kāṃtīnātho mahīpatiḥ | daśārṇādhipateḥ kanyā sāpi jātismarā satī

Translation

اسی اثر و قوت سے میں کَانتی ناتھ کے نام سے زمین کا فرمانروا بن کر پیدا ہوا؛ اور وہ بھی دَشَارْن کے حاکم کی بیٹی بن کر پیدا ہوئی—پاکدامن، اور پچھلے جنم کی یاد رکھنے والی۔

Word by Word

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (gen. sg.)

• प्रभावात्: from the power/effect
• प्रभावात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन (abl. sg.)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• जातः: was born
• जातः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियार्थे (was born)

• कांतीनाथः: lord of Kāntī
• कांतीनाथः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कांती + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘कांत्याः नाथः’)

• महीपतिः: king
• महीपतिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘महीपतेः’ = lord of the earth)

• दशार्णाधिपतेः: of the ruler of Daśārṇa
• दशार्णाधिपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशार्ण + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (gen. sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘दशार्णानाम् अधिपतिः’)

• कन्या: daughter
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (fem. nom. sg.)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• जातिस्मरा: remembering past births
• जातिस्मरा: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाति + स्मर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘जातिं स्मरति’ इति—one who remembers former births)

• सती: virtuous woman
• सती: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस् (धातु) → सत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: शतृ/सत्-प्रातिपदिक (present participle used adjectivally), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘सती’ = virtuous/true woman

Speaker

Rājā (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (contextual audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal birth scene juxtaposed with a subtle aura of past-life memory: the king Kāṃtīnātha enthroned, while elsewhere a princess of Daśārṇa is shown with a contemplative gaze, as if recalling a former existence.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Kāṃtīnātha
• Daśārṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit generated by worship and sacred-place association can bear fruit across births, shaping destiny and even granting jātismara (past-life memory).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s sacred sphere is implied as the source of “that power” (tat-prabhāva); the narrative’s tīrtha-context is the Mahākāla temple environment described in the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite; it states the karmic/spiritual result (phala) attributed to prior Mahākāla worship and vigil.