Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 114
Devanagari script
जायते योनिकोटीषु मृतः कर्मवशात्पुनः । देहभेदेन यः पुंसां वियोगः कर्मसंख्यया
Transliteration
jāyate yonikoṭīṣu mṛtaḥ karmavaśātpunaḥ | dehabhedena yaḥ puṃsāṃ viyogaḥ karmasaṃkhyayā
Translation
为业力所驱，使已死者复于千万胎藏中再生。对人而言，所谓“死亡”的离别，不过是随业之数与势而起的换身易体。
Word by Word
जायतेis born
जायते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootजन् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद
योनिकोटीषुin millions of wombs/births
योनिकोटीषु:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootयोनि (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (योन्याः कोटयः)
मृतःdead (one)
मृतः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootमृत (कृदन्त; √मृ)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle: dead)
कर्मवशात्due to the power of karma
कर्मवशात्:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय-भावे पञ्चमी (ablatival adverbial): ‘-वशात्’; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कर्मणः वशः)
पुनःagain
पुनः:
Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुनः (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb: again)
देहभेदेनby separation of the body
देहभेदेन:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootदेह (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (देहस्य भेदः)
यःwhich/who
यः:
Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (relative pronoun)
पुंसाम्of men/of people
पुंसाम्:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootपुंस्/पुम् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन
वियोगःseparation
वियोगः:
Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootवियोग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
कर्मसंख्ययाby the count/measure of karmas
कर्मसंख्यया:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootकर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कर्मणां संख्या)
Speaker
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A wheel of saṃsāra with countless womb-symbols; a soul-figure carried by a ledger-bearing Karma; beside it, a serene Śiva-liṅga radiating a path out of the wheel.
FAQs
Death is not an end but a karmically governed transition; one should live dharmically to shape future births.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it presents a general Purāṇic teaching on karma and rebirth.
None explicitly; the implied discipline is ethical living (dharma) to purify karma.