Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

तद्वाक्यमन्यथा चक्रे ततः शप्तः शशी प्रिये । इदं पृष्टं तु यद्देवि त्वया लांछनकारणम्

Transliteration

tadvākyamanyathā cakre tataḥ śaptaḥ śaśī priye | idaṃ pṛṣṭaṃ tu yaddevi tvayā lāṃchanakāraṇam

Translation

«Bien-aimée, la Lune agit autrement que selon ces paroles ; c’est pourquoi Śaśī fut maudite. Et voici, ô Devī, ce que tu m’as demandé : la cause de la tache de la Lune.»

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (neut. acc. sg.)

• vākyam: statement, word
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)

• cakre: did, made
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Perfect, 3rd sg., Ātmanepada)

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (indecl.: then/from that)

• śaptaḥ: cursed
• śaptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śap (शप्/शप्-शापे धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि (past passive participle: cursed)

• śaśī: the Moon
• śaśī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• priye: O dear one
• priye: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (fem. voc. sg.)

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (neut. nom./acc. sg.)

• pṛṣṭam: asked
• pṛṣṭam: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (प्रच्छ् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि (past passive participle: asked)

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• yat: which, that
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun: which/that)

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (fem. voc. sg.)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Agent/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (instr. sg.)

• lāṃchanakāraṇam: the cause of the mark
• lāṃchanakāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lāṃchana + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘लाञ्छनस्य कारणम्’ (neut. nom./acc. sg.)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva concludes: Soma disobeyed and was cursed; Devī’s question about the blemish is answered. Visual focus on the moment of moral verdict—curse as a shadow crossing the moon.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Śaśī (Candra/Soma)
• Dakṣa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ignoring dharmic instruction invites a śāpa (curse); consequences explain even cosmic imperfections.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, whose māhātmya frames this cosmological-dharmic teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it concludes the immediate causal answer about the lāñchana.