Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

इदं रहस्यं परमं तवोक्तं न वाच्यमेतद्धरिभक्तिवर्जिते । द्विजस्य निन्दानिरतेऽतिपापे गुरावभक्ते कृतपापबुद्धौ

Transliteration

idaṃ rahasyaṃ paramaṃ tavoktaṃ na vācyametaddharibhaktivarjite | dvijasya nindānirate'tipāpe gurāvabhakte kṛtapāpabuddhau

Translation

Dieses höchste Geheimnis ist von dir ausgesprochen worden; es darf nicht dem mitgeteilt werden, der ohne Hingabe zu Hari ist—noch dem schwer Sündigen, der die Brahmanen schmäht, dem Guru untreu ist und dessen Geist auf Unrecht gerichtet ist.

Word by Word

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपे

• rahasyam: secret teaching
• rahasyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rahasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘secret’

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं ‘rahasyam’

• tava: by you/your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• uktam: spoken
• uktam: Karma (Predicative/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: क्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (negation): not

• vācyam: should be spoken
• vācyam: Kriyā (Predicate obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be spoken’

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘this’

• hari-bhakti-varjite: to one devoid of devotion to Hari
• hari-bhakti-varjite: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (कृदन्त, √vṛj/वर्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (हरिभक्त्या वर्जितः)

• dvijasya: of a twice-born (person)
• dvijasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘of a brāhmaṇa/twice-born’

• nindā-nirate: engaged in slander
• nindā-nirate: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nindā (प्रातिपदिक) + nirata (कृदन्त, ni+√ram/रम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (निन्दायां निरतः)

• ati-pāpe: in one extremely sinful
• ati-pāpe: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (अतिशयेन पापः)

• gurau: toward the guru
• gurau: Adhikaraṇa (Reference/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘in/with regard to the teacher’

• abhakte: in one who is not devoted
• abhakte: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + bhakta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √bhaj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; नञ्-समासभाव (not devoted)

• kṛta-pāpa-buddhau: in one whose mind is set on committed sin
• kṛta-pāpa-buddhau: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त, √kṛ) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृतं पापं यस्याः बुद्धेः/यस्य बुद्धिः)

Speaker

Īśvara

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-rahasya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher pauses mid-discourse, raising a hand in caution; behind him a luminous manuscript/scroll marked as 'rahasya'; in the shadows stand figures symbolizing nindā and adharma turned away, while devoted listeners remain in light.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• dvija
• guru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teachings require moral and devotional eligibility; irreverence toward dharma and guru blocks spiritual benefit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse safeguards the transmission of the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa context) rather than naming a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restriction: do not disclose/teach this rahasya to those lacking Hari-bhakti or showing guru-disrespect and dvija-slander.