Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

कदामनुष्या जायेम पूजा यत्र महाफला । पितॄणां देवतानां च नानाधर्माश्च यत्र हि

Transliteration

kadāmanuṣyā jāyema pūjā yatra mahāphalā | pitṝṇāṃ devatānāṃ ca nānādharmāśca yatra hi

Translation

Bao giờ chúng ta được sinh làm người, nơi việc thờ phụng đem lại quả báo lớn—nơi có thể dâng cúng tổ tiên (pitṛ) và chư thiên, và thực hành muôn hình thức dharma?

Word by Word

• kadā: when
• kadā: Sambandha (Temporal/काल-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय/adverb of time: 'when?')

• manuṣyāḥ: humans
• manuṣyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• jāyema: may we be born
• jāyema: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• pūjā: worship
• pūjā: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/relative adverb: 'where')

• mahāphalā: great-fruited, highly rewarding
• mahāphalā: Visheshana (विशेषण/modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (pūjāyāḥ)

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors (pitṛs)
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• devatānām: of the deities
• devatānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coord. conjunction)

• nānādharmāḥ: various duties/rites
• nānādharmāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nānā + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coord. conjunction)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/relative adverb: 'where')

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipata (निपात/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/emphatic particle)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice describing the longing of beings for human birth)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A chorus of embodied beings yearning for human birth, envisioning a sacred kṣetra where pūjā and pitṛ-offerings yield great fruit; subtle imagery of altars, lamps, and libations to ancestors.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Devatās

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth is cherished because it enables effective worship, ancestral rites, and diverse dharmic practices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the verse speaks generally about the human realm as conducive to worship and dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references pūjā and rites for pitṛs and devatās, without detailing a specific procedure.