Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

भ्रातुर्मृतस्यभायायां यो गच्छेत्कामपूर्वकम् । धर्मेणापि नियुक्तायां स ज्ञेयो दिधिषूपतिः

Transliteration

bhrāturmṛtasyabhāyāyāṃ yo gacchetkāmapūrvakam | dharmeṇāpi niyuktāyāṃ sa jñeyo didhiṣūpatiḥ

Translation

Celui qui s’approche de l’épouse de son frère défunt par désir—même si elle a été légalement assignée selon le dharma (niyoga)—doit être reconnu comme didhiṣūpati, un époux réprouvé.

Word by Word

• भ्रातुः: of (one's) brother
• भ्रातुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मृतस्य: of the deceased
• मृतस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• भायायाम्: in/with the wife
• भायायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम

• गच्छेत्: should go/approach
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कामपूर्वकम्: with desire; lustfully
• कामपूर्वकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक); (पूर्वक = कृदन्त/तद्धित-प्राय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• धर्मेण: by/according to dharma
• धर्मेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक

• नियुक्तायाम्: when appointed/authorized
• नियुक्तायाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियुक्त (कृदन्त; नि+√युज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ज्ञेयः: is to be known (as)
• ज्ञेयः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicative qualifier/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञेय (कृदन्त; √ज्ञा (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (gerundive/ought-to-be-known)

• दिधिषूपतिः: husband of a remarried woman (didhiṣūpati)
• दिधिषूपतिः: Pratijna/Predicate nominal (सम्बोधन/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिधिषू + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A widow in white sits in mourning; a man approaches with conflicted expression—one side of the composition shows dharma (elders, scriptures), the other shows kāma (shadowy cupid-like impulse), illustrating the verse’s focus on motive.

Characters & Entities

• Niyoga (levirate appointment)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when an act has a legal/dharmic framework, motive matters—lust corrupts what is meant to be duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, whose māhātmya includes guidance for righteous household conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A boundary on niyoga: approaching the deceased brother’s wife must be duty-based, not desire-based; otherwise one is labeled didhiṣūpati.