Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

भ्रातुर्मृतस्यभायायां यो गच्छेत्कामपूर्वकम् । धर्मेणापि नियुक्तायां स ज्ञेयो दिधिषूपतिः

Transliteration

bhrāturmṛtasyabhāyāyāṃ yo gacchetkāmapūrvakam | dharmeṇāpi niyuktāyāṃ sa jñeyo didhiṣūpatiḥ

Translation

Wer aus Begierde zur Frau seines verstorbenen Bruders geht—selbst wenn sie nach Dharma zur Niyoga bestimmt ist—der ist als «Didhiṣūpati» zu erkennen, ein getadelter Ehemann.

Word by Word

• भ्रातुः: of (one's) brother
• भ्रातुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मृतस्य: of the deceased
• मृतस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• भायायाम्: in/with the wife
• भायायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम

• गच्छेत्: should go/approach
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कामपूर्वकम्: with desire; lustfully
• कामपूर्वकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक); (पूर्वक = कृदन्त/तद्धित-प्राय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• धर्मेण: by/according to dharma
• धर्मेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक

• नियुक्तायाम्: when appointed/authorized
• नियुक्तायाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियुक्त (कृदन्त; नि+√युज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ज्ञेयः: is to be known (as)
• ज्ञेयः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicative qualifier/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञेय (कृदन्त; √ज्ञा (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (gerundive/ought-to-be-known)

• दिधिषूपतिः: husband of a remarried woman (didhiṣūpati)
• दिधिषूपतिः: Pratijna/Predicate nominal (सम्बोधन/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिधिषू + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A widow in white sits in mourning; a man approaches with conflicted expression—one side of the composition shows dharma (elders, scriptures), the other shows kāma (shadowy cupid-like impulse), illustrating the verse’s focus on motive.

Characters & Entities

• Niyoga (levirate appointment)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when an act has a legal/dharmic framework, motive matters—lust corrupts what is meant to be duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, whose māhātmya includes guidance for righteous household conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A boundary on niyoga: approaching the deceased brother’s wife must be duty-based, not desire-based; otherwise one is labeled didhiṣūpati.