Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

दुष्टकर्मा दुराचारो महाराष्ट्रो महाभुजः । जित्वा च सकलांल्लोकांस्त्रैलोक्ये च गतागतः

Transliteration

duṣṭakarmā durācāro mahārāṣṭro mahābhujaḥ | jitvā ca sakalāṃllokāṃstrailokye ca gatāgataḥ

Translation

Mahārāṣṭra, der Mächtigarmige, war ein Täter böser Werke und von verderbtem Wandel. Nachdem er alle Bereiche bezwungen hatte, zog er in den drei Welten hin und her.

Word by Word

• duṣṭakarmā: one whose deeds are wicked
• duṣṭakarmā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि—'यस्य कर्म दुष्टम् सः'

• durācāraḥ: of bad conduct
• durācāraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• mahārāṣṭraḥ: Mahārāṣṭra (named)
• mahārāṣṭraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + rāṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; (नामरूपेण)

• mahābhujaḥ: mighty-armed
• mahābhujaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• jitvā: having conquered
• jitvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ji (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• sakalān: all
• sakalān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• lokān: worlds/people
• lokān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• trailokye: in the three worlds
• trailokye: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• gatāgataḥ: moving to and fro
• gatāgataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from gam) + āgata (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from ā+gam)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर) 'गतश्च आगतश्च' → 'going and coming about'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Brāhma Khaṇḍa purāṇic narration style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal, mighty-armed figure ‘Mahārāṣṭra’ (asura) strides across layered cosmic realms—earth, mid-region, heaven—symbolized by stacked landscapes; cities and assemblies appear subdued under his shadow.

Characters & Entities

• Mahārāṣṭra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly conquest and influence—even spanning the three worlds—cannot sanctify a person whose deeds and conduct are unrighteous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya sacred forest-region (Dharmāraṇya-māhātmya) is the contextual holy landscape within the Brāhma Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it is narrative characterization, setting up a later dharmic or tīrtha-related teaching.