Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तस्माच्छापं च दास्याम ऋषयस्ते तदाऽब्रुवन् । ततः शापोदकं गृह्य संध्यात्वाऽथ तपोधनाः

Transliteration

tasmācchāpaṃ ca dāsyāma ṛṣayaste tadā'bruvan | tataḥ śāpodakaṃ gṛhya saṃdhyātvā'tha tapodhanāḥ

Translation

Darum sprachen die ṛṣi damals: „Gewiss werden wir einen Fluch aussprechen.“ Dann nahmen jene, reich an Askese, das Fluchwasser und schritten, nachdem sie das Dämmerungsritual (saṁdhyā) vollzogen hatten, weiter zur Tat.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Reason (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/हेतु-अर्थे), तस्मात् = ‘therefore/from that’

• शापम्: a curse
• शापम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दास्याम: we shall give
• दास्याम: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• ते: those (they)
• ते: Karta (कर्ता) (ऋषयः इत्यस्य विशेषण/अन्वय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अब्रुवन्: said
• अब्रुवन्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Kāla/Sequence (काल/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/अनन्तर-अर्थे: ‘thereupon/then’)

• शापोदकम्: curse-water (water used for the curse)
• शापोदकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शापस्य उदकम्)

• गृह्य: having taken
• गृह्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having taken’

• संध्यात्वा: having performed the sandhyā (twilight rite)
• संध्यात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक) + √इ/अधि-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; ‘संध्याम् आचृत्य/उपास्य’ = having performed the twilight-prayer

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sequence marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• तपोधनाः: the ascetics (rich in austerity)
• तपोधनाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘तपः धनं येषाम्’ = whose wealth is austerity

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta) describing the sages’ action (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (episode context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tapodhana sages, after completing saṁdhyā at dusk, hold a small water vessel charged for a curse; the atmosphere is solemn, with the forest darkening.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Śāpa (curse)
• Śāpodaka (ritual water)
• Saṁdhyā (twilight worship)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even powerful ascetics frame actions through ritual order (saṁdhyā), showing that spiritual power must be yoked to disciplined practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where ritual action and divine consequence are narrated as part of the site’s Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Saṁdhyā (twilight worship) is explicitly mentioned; the sages also employ consecrated water (śāpodaka) as a ritual instrument.