Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणां यत्पापं जायते नृणाम् । तेन पापेन लिप्यामि यद्यहं नागमे पुनः

Transliteration

rājapaiśunyakartṝṇāṃ yatpāpaṃ jāyate nṛṇām | tena pāpena lipyāmi yadyahaṃ nāgame punaḥ

Translation

إن لم آتِ إلى هنا مرةً أخرى، فليلتصق بي الإثم الذي ينشأ في الرجال الذين يمارسون القذف ونقل الوشايات في شؤون الملوك؛ وبهذا الإثم عينه فلتتلطخ نفسي.

Word by Word

• राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणाम्: of the doers of slander against the king
• राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजपैशुन्य-कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; राज + पैशुन्य + कर्तृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (राजपैशुन्यस्य कर्तारः)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-विशेषण (relative pronoun)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जायते: arises/is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पापेन: by (that) sin
• पापेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• लिप्यामि: I become tainted / I am smeared
• लिप्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Clause linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपात (conditional particle)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• आगमे: I came / I would come
• आगमे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सन्धि-विच्छेदः: न + आगमे

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual vow/utterance within Arbuda Khaṇḍa narration; likely a pilgrim or narrator-voice within the māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim makes his vow near a tīrtha shrine while, in the background, courtiers whisper and point toward a king’s pavilion—symbolizing rāja-paiśunya. The pilgrim turns away, choosing silence and truth.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda (Mount Abu region)
• Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Malicious speech—especially political slander—is condemned; devotion to the tīrtha is framed as incompatible with such corruption.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda-kṣetra is upheld as a place inspiring vows of purity and faithful return.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual act is stated; it functions as a moral-ritual vow (saṅkalpa) tied to pilgrimage.