Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

स्वपत्नीं बंदुलां नाम हित्वा प्रतिनिशं तथा । वेश्याभवनमासाद्य रमते स्मरपीडितः

Transliteration

svapatnīṃ baṃdulāṃ nāma hitvā pratiniśaṃ tathā | veśyābhavanamāsādya ramate smarapīḍitaḥ

Translation

Abandoning his own wife, named Bandulā, night after night he would go to the courtesans’ quarters and indulge there—tormented and driven by Kāma, the god of desire.

Word by Word

• svapatnīm: Own wife
• svapatnīm: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapatnī (sva + patnī)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• baṃdulām: Bandula (Name)
• baṃdulām: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Noun
• Root: baṃdulā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• nāma: Named
• nāma: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• hitvā: Having abandoned
• hitvā: Purvakala Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: hā (धातु)
• Form: Ktva Pratyaya (Absolutive)

• pratiniśam: Every night
• pratiniśam: Adhikaran (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratiniśam (prati + niśā)
• Form: Adverbial Compound

• tathā: Thus/Also
• tathā: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• veśyābhavanam: Harlot's house
• veśyābhavanam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśyābhavana (veśyā + bhavana)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• āsādya: Having reached
• āsādya: Purvakala Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (ā + sad)
• Form: Lyap Pratyaya (Absolutive)

• ramate: Enjoys
• ramate: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ram (धातु)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), 3rd Person, Singular, Atmanepada

• smarapīḍitaḥ: Tormented by love/lust
• smarapīḍitaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smarapīḍita (smara + pīḍita)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from Brāhma Khaṇḍa / Brahmottara-khaṇḍa narrative setting)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene: Vidura leaving his home, wife Bandulā left behind; the courtesans’ quarter lit with alluring lamps; Kāma’s presence suggested as an unseen force pulling him.

Characters & Entities

• Bandulā
• Smara (Kāma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked kāma (lust) destabilizes gṛhastha-dharma; abandoning one’s lawful spouse for sensual indulgence is portrayed as a moral fall that leads to further suffering and demerit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha or sthala-māhātmya is explicitly named in this verse; it functions as an ethical narrative detail within the Brahmottara-khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this shloka; it is descriptive (narrative) rather than prescriptive (vrata/dāna/snānajapa).