Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

यो न कारयते राजा रथयात्रां तु ब्रह्मणः । स पच्यते महादेवि रौरवे कालमक्षयम्

Transliteration

yo na kārayate rājā rathayātrāṃ tu brahmaṇaḥ | sa pacyate mahādevi raurave kālamakṣayam

Translation

Ô Grande Déesse, le roi qui ne fait pas célébrer la fête du char de Brahmā est tourmenté dans l’enfer de Raurava pendant un temps impérissable.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक निपात (negation)

• kārayate: causes to be performed
• kārayate: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः √कृ (णिच् causative: कारयति/कारयते = causes to be done)

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Kartā (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• ratha-yātrām: the chariot procession
• ratha-yātrām: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (रथस्य यात्रा)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेष/विरोधार्थक निपात

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pacyate: is tormented (is cooked)
• pacyate: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pac (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः √पच्; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: is tormented/“is cooked”)

• mahādevi: O Great Goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महती देवि)

• raurave: in Raurava (hell)
• raurave: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raurava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (नरकनाम); सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• kālam: for a time
• kālam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (काल-अत्यन्त-संयोग/अवधि), एकवचन

• akṣayam: endless
• akṣayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying kālam: imperishable/endless)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator addressing Mahādevī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Brahmā-rathayātrā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (as addressed in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern admonition scene: a divine feminine addressed as Mahādevī; in contrast, a shadowy vision of Raurava hell where the negligent king suffers, juxtaposed with the radiant chariot-festival he failed to sponsor.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Brahmā
• Raurava (hell)
• Rājā (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Leadership carries religious duty: neglect of public sacred rites is portrayed as a grave moral failure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the royal sponsorship of Brahmā’s festival is mandated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The king should ensure the performance of Brahmā’s ratha-yātrā; neglect is condemned.