Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

आलस्यं दीर्घसूत्रत्वं परदारोपसेवनम् । अल्पाहारो निराहारः शोकश्चौर्यं नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

ālasyaṃ dīrghasūtratvaṃ paradāropasevanam | alpāhāro nirāhāraḥ śokaścauryaṃ nṛpottama

Translation

O bester der Könige: Trägheit, Aufschub, Umgang mit der Frau eines anderen; ungeordnete Ernährung—zu wenig oder gar keine—, Kummer und Diebstahl; all dies wird ebenfalls als dharmavernichtende Fehler getadelt.

Word by Word

• आलस्यम्: laziness
• आलस्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आलस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दीर्घ: long
• दीर्घ: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• सूत्रत्वम्: the state of a thread; procrastination (lit. long-threadedness)
• सूत्रत्वम्: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत्रत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• दीर्घसूत्रत्वम्: procrastination, dilatoriness
• दीर्घसूत्रत्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घ + सूत्रत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (long-threadedness)

• पर: another’s
• पर: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग; ‘पर’ = other’s (in compound)

• दार: wife
• दार: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग; ‘दार’ = wife (in compound)

• उपसेवनम्: association, indulgence
• उपसेवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उप + सेव् (धातु) + अन (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक-नाम (action noun) from धातु सेव् (to serve/associate) with उपसर्ग उप

• परदारोपसेवनम्: consorting with another’s wife
• परदारोपसेवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + दार + उपसेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (indulgence in another’s wife)

• अल्प: little
• अल्प: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• आहारः: food, intake
• आहारः: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• अल्पाहारः: eating little
• अल्पाहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अल्प + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (little-food)

• निराहारः: fasting, without food
• निराहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर् + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (nir-āhāra = without food)

• शोकः: grief
• शोकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• चौर्यम्: theft
• चौर्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (श्रेष्ठः नृपः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced); addressing a king within the story

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic courtly scene: a sage instructs a king; behind them symbolic vignettes of the six faults—sleepy figure (sloth), tangled scroll (procrastination), illicit rendezvous (adultery), empty/overly sparse meal (dietary extremes), weeping mourner (grief), and a thief in shadow (theft).

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual merit is safeguarded by moral restraint—especially sexual ethics, honesty, and disciplined living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse reinforces ethical prerequisites for benefiting from tīrtha practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it lists prohibited behaviors and harmful habits that undermine dharma.