Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

अहं पर्युषितोनाम पञ्चमः पापकृत्तमः

Transliteration

ahaṃ paryuṣitonāma pañcamaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ

Translation

«Je suis le cinquième, nommé “Paryuṣita”, le plus pécheur parmi ceux qui accomplissent des actes mauvais.»

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• paryuṣitaḥ: Paryuṣita (name)
• paryuṣitaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pari-uṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used as name/adjective); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः अव्ययवत् ‘called/by name’ अर्थे (indeclinable particle)

• pañcamaḥ: the fifth
• pañcamaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pāpakṛttamaḥ: the most sinful/evil-doer
• pāpakṛttamaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + tama (तमप् प्रत्यय)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पापं करोति’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष (pāpa-kṛt) तस्य तमप्-प्रत्ययेन अतिशयार्थः

Speaker

Preta (a departed spirit)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gautama (immediate listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A single preta steps forward from a group, pointing to himself in confession, with a bleak coastal wind; others watch with hollow eyes; the unseen punitive presence is felt in swirling dust.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama (context)
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sin leaves an identifying mark: harmful actions shape one’s very name and condition after death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), presented as the sacred setting where dharma-teachings are revealed through dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly in this verse; it introduces a karmic identity that is explained by later verses about improper giving.