Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

एवं स्वराष्ट्रात्परराष्ट्रतश्च देशाकरग्रामपुरव्रजेभ्यः । आहृत्य नार्यो रमिता दिनेदिने भुक्वा पुनः कापि न भुज्यते मया

Transliteration

evaṃ svarāṣṭrātpararāṣṭrataśca deśākaragrāmapuravrajebhyaḥ | āhṛtya nāryo ramitā dinedine bhukvā punaḥ kāpi na bhujyate mayā

Translation

Thus, from my own kingdom and from other kingdoms—from regions, mines, villages, towns, and settlements—women were brought and enjoyed day after day; once enjoyed, none was ever enjoyed again by me.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/क्रियाविशेषण (thus)

• sva-rāṣṭrāt: from (my) own kingdom
• sva-rāṣṭrāt: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + rāṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘स्वं राष्ट्रम्’

• para-rāṣṭrataḥ: from other kingdoms
• para-rāṣṭrataḥ: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + rāṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल् अव्ययप्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) — ‘from another kingdom’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• deśa-ākara-grāma-pura-vrajebhyaḥ: from regions, mines/markets, villages, towns, settlements
• deśa-ākara-grāma-pura-vrajebhyaḥ: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākara (प्रातिपदिक) + grāma (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक) + vraja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (from countries, mines/markets, villages, towns, settlements)

• āhṛtya: having brought
• āhṛtya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), ‘having brought’

• nāryaḥ: women
• nāryaḥ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ramitāḥ: were enjoyed
• ramitāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ram (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्तरि/कर्मणि सन्दर्भे—‘were enjoyed/consorted with’

• dine: in a day
• dine: Kāla-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dine: day by day
• dine: Kāla-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति

• bhuktvā: having enjoyed
• bhuktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), ‘having enjoyed’

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण

• kāpi: some (woman)
• kāpi: Karta (of bhujyate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kā (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम (some/any) + ‘api’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• bhujyate: is enjoyed
• bhujyate: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः—‘is enjoyed’

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartṛ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Rākṣasa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic montage: caravans and messengers moving through mines, villages, towns; the king’s indulgence shown as repetitive cycles, with women depicted as sorrowful figures in the background to emphasize harm.

Characters & Entities

• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked appetite expands endlessly, harming society widely; the Purāṇic warning is that pleasure sought through injury becomes a cause of torment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse lists worldly places to show the breadth of wrongdoing, not pilgrimage merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative confession.