Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 169

Devanagari script

शिखण्ड्युवाच । जातिरूपेण संयुक्तो विद्याहंकारसंपदा । यो येन गर्वितः प्राणी स तं प्राप्य विनश्यति

Transliteration

śikhaṇḍyuvāca | jātirūpeṇa saṃyukto vidyāhaṃkārasaṃpadā | yo yena garvitaḥ prāṇī sa taṃ prāpya vinaśyati

Translation

Śikhaṇḍī said: “A creature endowed with birth and beauty, and furnished with learning, ego, and prosperity—whatever he becomes proud of, upon attaining that very thing, he is undone.”

Word by Word

• śikhaṇḍī: Śikhaṇḍī
• śikhaṇḍī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhaṇḍin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• jāti-rūpeṇa: by birth and form
• jāti-rūpeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• saṃyuktaḥ: endowed/connected
• saṃyuktaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃyukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √yuj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• vidyā-haṃkāra-saṃpadā: by learning, ego, and prosperity
• vidyā-haṃkāra-saṃpadā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक) + haṃkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• yena: by which/with which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• garvitaḥ: proud
• garvitaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: garvita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √garv)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• prāṇī: a living being/person
• prāṇī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Correlative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tam: that (thing/person)
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• prāpya: having attained
• prāpya: Kriya (Action modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund), ‘having attained’

• vinaśyati: perishes
• vinaśyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-naś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śikhaṇḍī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gandharva-duhitā (the addressed petitioner)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śikhaṇḍī delivers calm moral instruction, enumerating sources of pride—birth, beauty, learning, ego, prosperity—while the young celestial listener sits subdued, attentive, and chastened.

Characters & Entities

• Śikhaṇḍī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride (garva) in status, beauty, learning, or wealth becomes the cause of downfall; humility safeguards dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya setting, linking ethical instruction to the sanctifying atmosphere of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated; it is a direct dharmic admonition against pride.