Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

भावित्वात्कर्मणो देवि दक्षस्याज्ञाव्यतिक्रमात् । समं वर्त्तस्व भार्याभिरित्युक्तः शशलांछनः

Transliteration

bhāvitvātkarmaṇo devi dakṣasyājñāvyatikramāt | samaṃ varttasva bhāryābhirityuktaḥ śaśalāṃchanaḥ

Translation

„O Devī, durch das Wirksamwerden des vorherbestimmten Karmas und weil er Dakṣas Gebot übertrat, wurde der Mond—der das Zeichen des ‘Hasen’ trägt—ermahnt: ‚Lebe deinen Gemahlinnen gegenüber in gleicher Weise.‘“

Word by Word

• bhāvitvāt: because of the destined nature / inevitability
• bhāvitvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāvitva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (neut. abl. sg.)

• karmaṇaḥ: of karma (deed/fate)
• karmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (neut. gen. sg.)

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (fem. voc. sg.)

• dakṣasya: of Dakṣa
• dakṣasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (masc. gen. sg.)

• ājñā: command
• ājñā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषे पूर्वपद-रूप (command/permission) (fem. stem used in compound)

• vyatikramāt: from transgression/violation
• vyatikramāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyatikrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (masc. abl. sg.)

• samam: equally
• samam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (neut. acc. sg. used adverbially)

• vartasva: conduct yourself, behave
• vartasva: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Imperative, 2nd sg., Ātmanepada)

• bhāryābhiḥ: with (your) wives
• bhāryābhiḥ: Sahakarana (Association/सहकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (fem. instr. pl.)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• uktaḥ: having been told
• uktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि (past passive participle: told)

• śaśalāṃchanaḥ: the one marked with a hare (the Moon)
• śaśalāṃchanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśa + lāṃchana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘शशः लाञ्छनं यस्य सः’ (masc. nom. sg.)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva explains that Soma’s fate unfolded through karma and disobedience to Dakṣa’s command; the moon is symbolically shown with the hare-mark, surrounded by the many wives (Nakṣatras) in balanced arrangement.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Dakṣa
• Śaśalāñchana (Candra/Soma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Partiality and disobedience to rightful injunctions lead to karmic consequence; fairness is a core household dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, within whose māhātmya this dharmic account is narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual; a behavioral injunction is implied: equal conduct toward one’s spouses (sama-vṛtti).