Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

षण्ढं तु ब्राह्मणं हत्वा शूद्रहत्याव्रतं चरेत् । बहूनामेककार्याणां सर्वेषां शस्त्रधारिणाम्

Transliteration

ṣaṇḍhaṃ tu brāhmaṇaṃ hatvā śūdrahatyāvrataṃ caret | bahūnāmekakāryāṇāṃ sarveṣāṃ śastradhāriṇām

Translation

Wenn man jedoch einen eunuchischen Brāhmaṇa tötet, soll man das Sühnegelübde vollziehen, das für die Tötung eines Śūdra vorgeschrieben ist. Und wenn viele an einer einzigen gemeinsamen Tat beteiligt sind—wenn alle Waffen tragen—(wird die Verantwortung geteilt).

Word by Word

• षण्ढम्: a eunuch/impotent man
• षण्ढम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षण्ढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोधार्थ/अवधानार्थ निपात

• ब्राह्मणम्: a brahmin
• ब्राह्मणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), ‘having killed’

• शूद्रहत्याव्रतम्: the vow prescribed for śūdra-killing
• शूद्रहत्याव्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र + हत्या + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी: शूद्रस्य हत्या-व्रतम् / शूद्रहत्यायाः व्रतम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• चरेत्: should practice/undertake
• चरेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• बहूनाम्: of many
• बहूनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; ‘of many’

• एककार्याणाम्: having one common act/purpose
• एककार्याणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (एकं कार्यं येषाम्), पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; बहूनाम् इति विशेषण/सम्बन्ध

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• शस्त्रधारिणाम्: of weapon-bearers
• शस्त्रधारिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र + धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (शस्त्रं धारयन्ति इति), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual attribution within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary tableau: armed men engaged in a joint violent act; a dharma-teacher points to a palm-leaf text indicating shared culpability; in a contrasting panel, penitents perform austerity and offer dāna at a tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Śūdra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions carry graded consequences, and dharma-text style expiations are prescribed; collective wrongdoing can create collective accountability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, whose later verses highlight the purifying Sarasvatī at Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse prescribes a specific ‘vrata’ (expiatory observance) aligned with śūdra-hatyā for this case.