Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

श्यामलोवाच । किं तस्य मन्दभाग्यस्य अल्पपुण्यस्य दुर्मतेः । मा कुरुध्वं कथाः साध्व्यः कथां कथयताऽपराम्

Transliteration

śyāmalovāca | kiṃ tasya mandabhāgyasya alpapuṇyasya durmateḥ | mā kurudhvaṃ kathāḥ sādhvyaḥ kathāṃ kathayatā'parām

Translation

Śyāmala sprach: Was nützt es, von jenem Unglücklichen zu reden, der wenig Verdienst und einen bösen Sinn hat? O tugendhafte Frauen, erzählt nicht seine Geschichte—sprecht lieber von einem anderen Thema.

Word by Word

• श्यामलः: Śyāmala
• श्यामलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śyāmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma/Prashna (Object/Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मन्दभाग्यस्य: of the ill-fated
• मन्दभाग्यस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द + भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक); कर्मधारय-समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अल्पपुण्यस्य: of the little-merited
• अल्पपुण्यस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक); कर्मधारय-समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषण

• दुर्मतेः: of the evil-minded
• दुर्मतेः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + मति (प्रातिपदिक); तत्पुरुष-समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषण

• मा: do not
• मा: Nishedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• कुरुध्वम्: do (you all)
• कुरुध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• कथाः: talks/stories
• कथाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• साध्व्यः: O virtuous ladies
• साध्व्यः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साध्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), बहुवचन

• कथाम्: a story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कथयत: tell (you all)
• कथयत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• अपराम्: another
• अपराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Śyāmala

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā/Dvāravatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śyāmala, composed and gentle, raises a calming hand, urging the women to stop; the group’s agitation begins to settle.

Characters & Entities

• Śyāmala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Speech is powerful; in grief one should redirect conversation toward what steadies the mind and nurtures devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to Dvārakā-māhātmya, keeping Dvārakā as the sacred frame even when not named in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is ethical guidance about discourse amid sorrow.