Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 185

Devanagari script

तुलसीमालया यस्तु भूषितो भ्रमते यदि । दुःस्वप्नं दुर्निमित्तं च न भयं शात्रवं क्वचित्

Transliteration

tulasīmālayā yastu bhūṣito bhramate yadi | duḥsvapnaṃ durnimittaṃ ca na bhayaṃ śātravaṃ kvacit

Translation

مَن تزيَّن بإكليلِ التولسي (tulasī-mālā)، ولو كان في حركةٍ وسير، فلا تصيبه أحلامٌ شريرةٌ مُفزِعة، ولا طِيَرةٌ مشؤومة، ولا خطرٌ من الأعداء في أيّ وقت.

Word by Word

• तुलसीमालया: with a tulasī-garland
• तुलसीमालया: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी + माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tulasī-mālā = ‘garland of tulasī’)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (निपात)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-निपात (emphatic/contrast particle)

• भूषितः: adorned
• भूषितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of यः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूष् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्) → भूषित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle: ‘adorned’)

• भ्रमते: wanders, moves about
• भ्रमते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Present indicative, 3rd sg.)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• दुःस्वप्नम्: bad dream
• दुःस्वप्नम्: Karma (Object understood with ‘(भवति) न’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुः + स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (bad dream)

• दुर्निमित्तम्: bad omen
• दुर्निमित्तम्: Karma (Object understood with ‘(भवति) न’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुः + निमित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (evil omen)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (निपात)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• न: no, not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (as subject: ‘fear (is) not’)

• शात्रवम्: from enemies, hostile
• शात्रवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of भयम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शात्रव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; अत्र विशेषणम् (enemy-related/coming from enemies)

• क्वचित्: ever, anywhere
• क्वचित्: Adhikaraṇa (Scope/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/देशवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb: ‘ever/anywhere’)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (within Dvārakā Māhātmya narration; attributed to the chapter’s narrator voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General devotee/pilgrim

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler-devotee walks with tulasī garland; dark dream-forms and ominous birds dissolve; hostile figures at a distance turn away; the path remains bright and safe.

Characters & Entities

• Tulasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional adornment is presented as a shield—reducing fear, omens, and hostility through sacred association.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears within Dvārakā Māhātmya, linking protective merit to Dvārakā’s devotional culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Adorning oneself with a tulasī mālā for ongoing protection.