Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

आदेशं पठते यस्तु राजद्वारे तु मानवः । सोऽपि देवि भवेद्वृक्ष ऊषरे कंटकावृतः । स्थितो वै नृपतिद्वारि यः कुर्याद्वेदविक्रयम्

Transliteration

ādeśaṃ paṭhate yastu rājadvāre tu mānavaḥ | so'pi devi bhavedvṛkṣa ūṣare kaṃṭakāvṛtaḥ | sthito vai nṛpatidvāri yaḥ kuryādvedavikrayam

Translation

O Göttin, der Mensch, der am Königstor Verkündigungen (ādeśa) vorträgt, wird zu einem Baum in öder, versalzener Erde, von Dornen umhüllt. Ebenso fällt, wer am königlichen Tor steht und die Veda wie Ware handelt, in dasselbe Geschick.

Word by Word

• ādeśam: a proclamation/order
• ādeśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• paṭhate: reads/recites
• paṭhate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paṭh (पठ् धातु)
• Form: लट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; विशेष/विरोधार्थक

• rāja-dvāre: at the king’s gate
• rāja-dvāre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘राज्ञः द्वारम्’

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• mānavaḥ: a man
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (also/even)

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन); एकवचन

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• vṛkṣaḥ: a tree
• vṛkṣaḥ: Pradhāna-vākya-artha (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• ūṣare: in barren land
• ūṣare: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन

• kaṇṭaka-āvṛtaḥ: covered with thorns
• kaṇṭaka-āvṛtaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṇṭaka (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √vṛ ‘to cover’ + ā-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘कण्टकैः आवृतः’ (covered with thorns); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• sthitaḥ: standing
• sthitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √sthā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (standing)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; अवधारणार्थक

• nṛpati-dvāri: at the king’s gate
• nṛpati-dvāri: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpati (प्रातिपदिक) + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘नृपतेः द्वारम्’ (locative)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• veda-vikrayam: sale of the Veda
• veda-vikrayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + vikraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘वेदस्य विक्रयः’

Speaker

Unknown (within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya dialogue; addressed to ‘Devi’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal gateway scene: a man recites proclamations before guards and courtiers; beside him a Veda-scroll is weighed like merchandise. In the karmic aftermath vignette, he appears as a thorn-covered tree in a white, salt-crusted wasteland.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Nṛpati (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge must not be commercialized; treating the Veda as a commodity leads to spiritual downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra is the broader setting (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya), though this verse focuses on dharma rather than a single sub-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed here; it is an ethical prohibition against veda-vikraya (selling the Veda).