Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तत्रोचुः सैनिकाः सर्वे न विद्मोऽपकृतं वयम् । सर्वोपायैर्यथाकामं भवान्समधिगच्छतु

Transliteration

tatrocuḥ sainikāḥ sarve na vidmo'pakṛtaṃ vayam | sarvopāyairyathākāmaṃ bhavānsamadhigacchatu

Translation

Darauf erwiderten alle Soldaten: «Wir wissen nicht, wer dieses Unrecht begangen hat. Mit allen Mitteln, die Ihr für angemessen haltet, möget Ihr es herausfinden.»

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• sainikāḥ: soldiers
• sainikāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; qualifying sainikāḥ

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• vidmaḥ: we know
• vidmaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• apakṛtam: the wrongdoing
• apakṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apa-√kṛ (धातु) → apakṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनम्; object of vidmaḥ

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• sarva-upāyaiḥ: by all means/methods
• sarva-upāyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वे उपाया:); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचनम्; instrumental plural

• yathā-kāmam: as you wish
• yathā-kāmam: Adverbial (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषणम् = 'as desired/at will'

• bhavān: you (sir)
• bhavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम्; honorific 2nd person pronoun used as subject

• samadhigacchatu: may (you) find/ascertain
• samadhigacchatu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-adhi-√gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; polite injunction

Speaker

Śaryāti’s soldiers/army (collective reply)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense royal camp at Prabhāsa: soldiers gathered before the king, hands folded, faces anxious, insisting ignorance while urging him to discover the culprit by any means.

Characters & Entities

• Śaryāti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In crises born of adharma, ignorance of the cause does not remove responsibility; one must still seek the truth and restore order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the holy region whose narrative showcases dharma’s immediate consequences.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes practical dhārmic governance—ascertaining the cause and pursuing remedy.