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

时日流转，那戏台的猴子走向死亡；他已转生为你的儿子，而那（昔日的）公鸡则成了大臣之子。

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.