Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

लोकपालास्तथा सर्वे तस्य कर्म प्रचक्रिरे । दासवत्पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ यज्ञभागं विनाकृताः

Transliteration

lokapālāstathā sarve tasya karma pracakrire | dāsavatpārthivaśreṣṭha yajñabhāgaṃ vinākṛtāḥ

Translation

Ebenso verrichteten alle Lokapālas, die Hüter der Welten, seine Arbeiten; o bester der Könige, sie wurden wie Diener handeln gemacht, ihres Anteils am yajña beraubt.

Word by Word

• लोकपालाः: the guardians of the worlds
• लोकपालाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोकपाल (प्रातिपदिक; लोक+पाल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (लोकस्य पालाः)

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कर्म: work/deed
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रचक्रिरे: performed/did
• प्रचक्रिरे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• दासवत्: like servants
• दासवत्: Visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दासवत् (अव्यय; दास+वत्)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (like a servant)

• पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; पार्थिव+श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (पार्थिवः श्रेष्ठः)

• यज्ञभागम्: the sacrificial share
• यज्ञभागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञभाग (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ+भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य भागः)

• विना: without
• विना: Relation marker (अपादान/वियोगार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वियोगार्थ-निपात (without)

• अकृताः: deprived (of it) / without (it)
• अकृताः: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त-प्रत्यय; नञ्-पूर्वक (a-kṛta); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अर्थः—न कृताः/वर्जिताः (deprived/without having)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: king addressed as 'pārthiva-śreṣṭha'

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The eight Lokapālas stand with lowered insignia—Indra’s vajra dim, Varuṇa’s pāśa slack—performing another’s bidding like attendants; the atmosphere is heavy with humiliation and urgency.

Characters & Entities

• Lokapālas (Dikpālas)
• Mahiṣa (implied)
• Yajña-bhāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma sustains cosmic dignity; when adharma rules, rightful guardians are reduced to servitude and sacred reciprocity (yajña) collapses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implies the dharmic institution of yajña shares due to deities, here forcibly withheld.