Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 202

Devanagari script

त्रयीधर्मं परित्यज्य येऽन्यं धर्ममुपासते । ते नरा नरकं यांतु यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्

Transliteration

trayīdharmaṃ parityajya ye'nyaṃ dharmamupāsate | te narā narakaṃ yāṃtu yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam

Translation

Wer den Dharma der drei Veden verlässt und einem anderen Weg dient—mögen solche Menschen bis zur Auflösung der geschaffenen Wesen in die Hölle gehen.

Word by Word

• त्रयीधर्मम्: the Vedic (threefold) dharma
• त्रयीधर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयी + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—त्रय्याः धर्मः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रदर्शकः

• अन्यम्: another
• अन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘धर्मम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• धर्मम्: dharma
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• उपासते: worship/serve
• उपासते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + आस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नराः: men
• नराः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नरकम्: to hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यान्तु: let (them) go
• यान्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Kala-Avadhi (Temporal limit/कालावधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अवधि-निर्देशक-अव्यय (until; limit marker)

• आभूतसंप्लवम्: the cosmic dissolution (up to the great deluge)
• आभूतसंप्लवम्: Kala-Avadhi (Temporal limit/कालावधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + भूत + संप्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—आभूतानां संप्लवः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern, didactic tableau: a sage or divine voice pronounces judgment; shadowy figures turn away from Vedic fires toward a dark path, while a cosmic horizon hints at pralaya.

Characters & Entities

• Trayī-dharma
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text upholds Trayī-dharma (Vedic dharma) as the normative standard; deliberate abandonment of it is portrayed as leading to severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

While not naming a specific tīrtha in the verse, it occurs within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya (Prabhāsa region), where dharma is emphasized as the foundation of kṣetra-merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it is a doctrinal warning to remain established in Trayī-dharma.