Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

अथाह दर्शनं गत्वा धिग्धिग्व्यर्थप्रजल्पक । मिथ्या प्रजल्पमानेन किमिदं साहसं कृतम्

Transliteration

athāha darśanaṃ gatvā dhigdhigvyarthaprajalpaka | mithyā prajalpamānena kimidaṃ sāhasaṃ kṛtam

Translation

Da trat er ins Blickfeld und sprach: „Schande, Schande über dich, Schwätzer unnützer Worte! Indem du Falsches redest, welche tollkühne Vermessenheit hast du da begangen?“

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse connector (अव्ययार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (sequence marker/adverb)

• आह: said
• आह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• दर्शनम्: a sight/vision; audience
• दर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable participle)

• धिग्: shame!
• धिग्: Exclamation (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिग् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-निपात (interjection of censure)

• धिग्: shame!
• धिग्: Exclamation (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिग् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-निपात (repetition for emphasis)

• व्यर्थप्रजल्पक: O useless babbler
• व्यर्थप्रजल्पक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यर्थ + प्रजल्पक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (व्यर्थः प्रजल्पकः)

• मिथ्या: falsely
• मिथ्या: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• प्रजल्पमानेन: by (you) speaking/babbling
• प्रजल्पमानेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + जल्प् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), आत्मनेपद-प्रयोग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक-सम्भव (here masc. instr.)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• साहसम्: rash act/audacity
• साहसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साहस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृतम्: done/committed
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (predicate)

Speaker

Śiva (implied continuation from vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ becoming angry)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva appears directly (darśana), eyes blazing; he points or gestures in reprimand at Brahmā: ‘dhik dhik’; Brahmā is visibly shaken; the court witnesses the moral verdict.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Brahmā (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthfulness (satya) is foundational; false claims and vain speech are spiritually and ethically ruinous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it serves the moral-theological core of the Arbudakhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a direct rebuke centered on speech-ethics.