Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

दुष्टकर्मा दुराचारो महाराष्ट्रो महाभुजः । जित्वा च सकलांल्लोकांस्त्रैलोक्ये च गतागतः

Transliteration

duṣṭakarmā durācāro mahārāṣṭro mahābhujaḥ | jitvā ca sakalāṃllokāṃstrailokye ca gatāgataḥ

Translation

Mahārāṣṭra, aux bras puissants, était voué aux actes mauvais et à la conduite dépravée. Ayant conquis tous les royaumes, il allait et venait à travers les trois mondes.

Word by Word

• duṣṭakarmā: one whose deeds are wicked
• duṣṭakarmā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि—'यस्य कर्म दुष्टम् सः'

• durācāraḥ: of bad conduct
• durācāraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• mahārāṣṭraḥ: Mahārāṣṭra (named)
• mahārāṣṭraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + rāṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; (नामरूपेण)

• mahābhujaḥ: mighty-armed
• mahābhujaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• jitvā: having conquered
• jitvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ji (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• sakalān: all
• sakalān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• lokān: worlds/people
• lokān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• trailokye: in the three worlds
• trailokye: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• gatāgataḥ: moving to and fro
• gatāgataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from gam) + āgata (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from ā+gam)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर) 'गतश्च आगतश्च' → 'going and coming about'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Brāhma Khaṇḍa purāṇic narration style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal, mighty-armed figure ‘Mahārāṣṭra’ (asura) strides across layered cosmic realms—earth, mid-region, heaven—symbolized by stacked landscapes; cities and assemblies appear subdued under his shadow.

Characters & Entities

• Mahārāṣṭra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly conquest and influence—even spanning the three worlds—cannot sanctify a person whose deeds and conduct are unrighteous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya sacred forest-region (Dharmāraṇya-māhātmya) is the contextual holy landscape within the Brāhma Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it is narrative characterization, setting up a later dharmic or tīrtha-related teaching.