Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

समुद्रमटवीं युद्धं विशंते लोभमोहिताः । लोभादि कार्यमत्युग्रं कुर्वंति त्याज्य एव सः

Transliteration

samudramaṭavīṃ yuddhaṃ viśaṃte lobhamohitāḥ | lobhādi kāryamatyugraṃ kurvaṃti tyājya eva saḥ

Translation

Von Gier verblendet betreten die Menschen das Meer, die Wildnis und sogar das Schlachtfeld. Wer aus Gier und dergleichen überaus grausame Taten unternimmt, ist wahrlich zu meiden.

Word by Word

• samudram: the ocean
• samudram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• aṭavīm: a forest
• aṭavīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṭavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• yuddham: battle/war
• yuddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• viśante: they enter
• viśante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• lobha-mohitāḥ: deluded by greed
• lobha-mohitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lobha (प्रातिपदिक) + mohita (√muh धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (लोभेन मोहिताः); क्त-कृदन्त-विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• lobhādi: greed and the like
• lobhādi: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lobha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (आदि)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (लोभः आदिः यस्य/लोभादयः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (as qualifier of kāryam)

• kāryam: an act/deed
• kāryam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (√kṛ धातु + यत्)
• Form: यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive used as noun: 'that which is to be done'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ati-ugram: exceedingly fierce
• ati-ugram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + ugra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (अत्युग्रम् = अतिशयेन उग्रम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of kāryam)

• kurvanti: they do
• kurvanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• tyājyaḥ: to be abandoned
• tyājyaḥ: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √tyaj (त्यज् धातु) + ya (यत्/ण्यत्)
• Form: त्याज्य (gerundive: 'to be abandoned'), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (of saḥ)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• saḥ: that/it
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun)

Speaker

Mother (unnamed, within Pulastya’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (coastal frame) / Arbuda (forest frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Putraka

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Triptych-like scene: a greedy man boarding a stormy sea-vessel, another plunging into a dark forest, another rushing into battle—each driven by a single red thread of greed; the wise child turns away from such company.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed clouds discernment and drives people into needless danger; avoid those whose actions are powered by such impulses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is directly mentioned; the verse is nīti (ethical guidance) within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it advises discernment about motives and associations.