Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

दृष्टो भवद्भिर्दुष्टः स परदारावमर्शकः । छित्त्वा हस्तौ च खड्गेन खरारूढस्तु गच्छति

Transliteration

dṛṣṭo bhavadbhirduṣṭaḥ sa paradārāvamarśakaḥ | chittvā hastau ca khaḍgena kharārūḍhastu gacchati

Translation

« Vous avez vu cet homme méchant, violateur de la femme d'autrui. Les mains coupées par une épée, il s'en va monté sur un âne. »

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭaḥ: seen
• dṛṣṭaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘seen’

• bhavadbhiḥ: by you (all)
• bhavadbhiḥ: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — instrumental plural

• duṣṭaḥ: wicked
• duṣṭaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular (qualifying ‘saḥ’)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular pronoun

• paradārāvamarśakaḥ: violator of others’ wives
• paradārāvamarśakaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक) + avamarśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular; समासः तत्पुरुष (परदाराṇām अवमर्शकः = one who violates others’ wives)

• chittvā: having cut off
• chittvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: chid (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having cut off’

• hastau: (his) two hands
• hastau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन — accusative dual

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• khaḍgena: with a sword
• khaḍgena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaḍga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• kharārūḍhaḥ: mounted on a donkey
• kharārūḍhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khara (प्रातिपदिक) + ārūḍha (प्रातिपदिक; √ruh + kta)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular; समासः तत्पुरुष (खरे आरूढः)

• tu: indeed/then
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘goes’

Speaker

Festival announcers/performers (deduced; continuing didactic spectacle)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A public road near a sacred precinct: a condemned adulterer with severed hands, mounted on a donkey, being driven away as onlookers recoil; the contrast between sacred landscape and human disgrace is emphasized.

Characters & Entities

• paradārāvamarśaka (adulterer/violator)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violation of marital boundaries is a grave adharma; the text uses public spectacle to deter such conduct and uphold social dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where dharma is reinforced through festival pedagogy and public moral instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A staged depiction of the disgrace/punishment of a paradāra-offender as part of the festival’s didactic program.