Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

अत्रिरुवाच । मातरं पितरं नित्यं दुर्मतिः सोऽवमन्यताम् । शूद्रं पृच्छतु धर्मार्थं बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः

Transliteration

atriruvāca | mātaraṃ pitaraṃ nityaṃ durmatiḥ so'vamanyatām | śūdraṃ pṛcchatu dharmārthaṃ bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ

Translation

Atri said: “He who commits bisastainya becomes ill-minded and continually dishonors his mother and father; and he seeks instruction in dharma from the unfit.”

Word by Word

• अत्रिः: Atri
• अत्रिः: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पितरम्: father
• पितरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• दुर्मतिः: a wicked-minded person
• दुर्मतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: durmati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (दुष्टा मतिः यस्य सः) व्यवहारतः विशेषणवत्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Coreferential)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अवमन्यताम्: let him disrespect/insult
• अवमन्यताम्: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + मन् (धातु; अवमन्यते)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• शूद्रम्: a śūdra
• शूद्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पृच्छतु: let him ask
• पृच्छतु: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• धर्मार्थम्: the meaning/purpose of dharma
• धर्मार्थम्: Karma (Object of asking)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (धर्मस्य अर्थः/धर्मार्थः = धर्मविषयकः अर्थः)

• बिसस्तैन्यम्: theft of lotus-stalks
• बिसस्तैन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: bisa + stainya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• करोति: commits
• करोति: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Atri

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Atri in a rishi-assembly points to a household scene: a son turning away from his mother and father in contempt; beside it, the same person asking dharma from an unfit instructor, symbolizing inverted authority.

Characters & Entities

• Atri
• Mother
• Father

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma breaks the foundations of dharma—respect for parents and seeking proper spiritual guidance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated in Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya, though this verse is primarily didactic.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on ethical and social decline as karmic consequence.