Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 63
Devanagari script
प्राक्कर्मवशगस्यास्य गर्भज्ञानं च नश्यति । ततः करोति कर्माणि श्वेतरक्तासितानि च
Transliteration
prākkarmavaśagasyāsya garbhajñānaṃ ca naśyati | tataḥ karoti karmāṇi śvetaraktāsitāni ca
Translation
此众生受前业所制，胎中所忆之知见遂灭；其后造作诸业——或清明，或炽烈，或幽暗。
Word by Word
प्राक्-कर्म-वशगस्यof one subject to former karma
प्राक्-कर्म-वशगस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive: of one controlled by past karma)
TypeAdjective
Rootप्राक् (अव्यय) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वशग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (प्राक्कर्मणः वशगः)
अस्यof him
अस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive: of him)
TypeNoun
Rootइदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम
गर्भ-ज्ञानम्knowledge of the womb (prenatal memory)
गर्भ-ज्ञानम्:
Karta (Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootगर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (गर्भस्य ज्ञानम्)
चand
च:
Sambandha (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)
नश्यतिperishes, disappears
नश्यति:
Kriyā (Main verb)
TypeVerb
Root√नश् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
ततःthen
ततः:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverb)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अनन्तरवाचक (thereafter)
करोतिdoes, performs
करोति:
Kriyā (Main verb)
TypeVerb
Root√कृ (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
कर्माणिactions, deeds
कर्माणि:
Karma (Object)
TypeNoun
Rootकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन
श्वेत-रक्त-असितानिwhite, red, and black (threefold)
श्वेत-रक्त-असितानि:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
TypeAdjective
Rootश्वेत (प्रातिपदिक) + रक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + असित (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (श्वेतं च रक्तं च असितं च) विशेषणम् ‘कर्माणि’
चand
च:
Sambandha (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)
Speaker
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A symbolic tableau: the newborn’s fading womb-memory, then the adult life-stream branching into three colored paths—white, red, black—representing sattva, rajas, tamas, with karma as an unseen force.
FAQs
Karma causes forgetfulness of spiritual insight and propels beings into mixed actions, sustaining saṃsāra.
None; this is philosophical teaching on karma and action.
None directly; it implies cultivating pure (śveta) actions to counter karmic bondage.