Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

पूर्वकर्मानुसंयोगाद्विकर्मणि रतः सदा । तस्यां रात्र्यामहं तत्र जनमध्ये तु संस्थितः

Transliteration

pūrvakarmānusaṃyogādvikarmaṇi rataḥ sadā | tasyāṃ rātryāmahaṃ tatra janamadhye tu saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

Durch die Verknüpfung mit den Früchten früherer Taten war ich stets in verkehrte Handlungen verstrickt. Doch in jener Nacht war ich dort, mitten unter den Menschen stehend.

Word by Word

• पूर्व-कर्म-अनुसंयोगात्: due to the connection with former karma
• पूर्व-कर्म-अनुसंयोगात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुसंयोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पूर्वकर्मणः अनुसंयोगः) + पञ्चमी = हेतौ/कारणे ‘due to’

• विकर्मणि: in wrongdoing, in sinful acts
• विकर्मणि: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• रतः: engaged, devoted
• रतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत (कृदन्त; √रम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘attached/engaged’

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• तस्याम्: in that
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• रात्र्याम्: night
• रात्र्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• जन-मध्ये: among the people, in the crowd
• जन-मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (जनानां मध्ये)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• संस्थितः: stationed, standing
• संस्थितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-√स्था (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (having stood/being stationed)

Speaker

Unspecified first-person narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya (deductively: the same thief-speaker)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed woman (varānane) implied in adjacent verse sequence

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at Prabhāsa: a dense pilgrim crowd with lamps and banners; in the shadows stands a solitary figure, tense and watchful, yet enveloped by the collective sanctity of the gathering.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Karma
• Śivarātri (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past karma can incline one toward vikarma, yet proximity to a sacred observance and holy assembly can become a turning point.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, depicted as a gathering-place on Śivarātri.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is stated; the verse situates the speaker during the Śivarātri night among devotees.