Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्दृष्टे सुरश्रेष्ठ यमलोकसमुद्भवम् । न भयं विद्यते नृणामपि दुष्कृतकारिणाम्

Transliteration

tasmindṛṣṭe suraśreṣṭha yamalokasamudbhavam | na bhayaṃ vidyate nṛṇāmapi duṣkṛtakāriṇām

Translation

« Ô le meilleur des dieux, en contemplant cette (divinité/liṅga) apparue en lien avec le royaume de Yama, il n’est plus de crainte pour les hommes, même pour ceux qui ont commis des méfaits. »

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (place/occasion)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप

• दृष्टे: when (it is) seen
• दृष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle) सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-रूप सम्भव; यहाँ सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध (दृष्टे सति)

• सुरश्रेष्ठ: O best of gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सुराणां श्रेष्ठः)

• यमलोकसमुद्भवम्: arisen from Yama’s world
• यमलोकसमुद्भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यमलोक (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; पञ्चमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (यमलोकात्/यमलोकस्य समुद्भवम्)

• न: not/no
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (Negation particle)

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु) (सत्तायाम्/ज्ञाने)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• नृणाम्: of men/people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Additive particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपवाद/समुच्चयार्थक (even/also)

• दुष्कृतकारिणाम्: of evil-doers/sinners
• दुष्कृतकारिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier of नृणाम्/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्कृत (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दुष्कृतं कुर्वन्ति ये)

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yama) within Śiva’s narration (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yameśvara (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: sur-śreṣṭha (addressed deity/being; likely a divine interlocutor within the mahatmya narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims stand before a dark, austere liṅga/shrine associated with Yama; the atmosphere shifts from dread to calm as the deity’s presence grants fearlessness.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (Dharmarāja)
• Yamaloka
• Śiva (Yameśvara)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-centered pilgrimage transforms fear into refuge: darśana at a consecrated site grants protection and hope even to those burdened by wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Yameśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, described as connected with Yama’s realm (Yamaloka-samudbhava).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing/beholding) of the sacred manifestation is presented as the key act yielding fearlessness.