Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । एवमेतत्समाख्यातं तव सर्वं द्विजोत्तम । नरकाणां स्वरूपं तु कर्मणां वै यथाक्रमम्

Transliteration

yama uvāca | evametatsamākhyātaṃ tava sarvaṃ dvijottama | narakāṇāṃ svarūpaṃ tu karmaṇāṃ vai yathākramam

Translation

Yama sprach: „So ist dir dies alles dargelegt worden, o Bester der Zweimalgeborenen: das Wesen der Höllen und die Taten (Karma), die der Reihe nach dorthin führen.“

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Discourse (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समाख्यातम्: has been explained
• समाख्यातम्: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तव: to you / of you
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (with एतत्)

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), पुल्लिङ्ग, एकवचन

• नरकाणाम्: of the hells
• नरकाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• स्वरूपम्: the nature/form
• स्वरूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र द्वितीया (object of implied 'to tell')

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Discourse (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• कर्मणाम्: of actions (karmas)
• कर्मणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (emphatic particle)

• यथाक्रमम्: in due order
• यथाक्रमम्: Discourse (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Yama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a brāhmaṇa (dvijottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm closure: Yama, composed and authoritative, addresses the brāhmaṇa, indicating that the ordered account of hells and deeds is complete—more pedagogical than horrific.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral causality is orderly and intelligible: actions (karma) bear corresponding results, and dharma is to be chosen consciously.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra frames the discourse; the māhātmya’s authority encourages pilgrims toward righteous conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a concluding statement summarizing the instruction.