Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

कश्यप उवाच । सर्वभक्षः स भवतु न्यासलोपं करोतु सः । कूटसाक्षित्वमभ्येतु बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः

Transliteration

kaśyapa uvāca | sarvabhakṣaḥ sa bhavatu nyāsalopaṃ karotu saḥ | kūṭasākṣitvamabhyetu bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ

Translation

Kaśyapa dit : «Que celui qui vole ces tiges de lotus devienne mangeur de tout ; qu’il commette la violation des dépôts confiés (nyāsa) ; et qu’il tombe dans le péché du faux témoignage».

Word by Word

• कश्यपः: Kaśyapa
• कश्यपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कश्यप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सर्वभक्षः: eater of everything
• सर्वभक्षः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सर्वं भक्षयति/भक्षः) विशेषण

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

• भवतु: let him become
• भवतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• न्यासलोपम्: breach of trust (loss of deposit)
• न्यासलोपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यास (प्रातिपदिक) + लोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (न्यासस्य लोपः)

• करोतु: let him do/commit
• करोतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

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

• कूटसाक्षित्वम्: false witnesshood
• कूटसाक्षित्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूट (प्रातिपदिक) + साक्षित्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे (कूटं साक्षित्वं = false witnesshood)

• अभ्येतु: let him incur/attain
• अभ्येतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-इ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• बिसस्तैन्यम्: theft of lotus-stalks
• बिसस्तैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिस (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बिसस्य स्तैन्यम्)

• करोति: does/commits
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक यत्-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Kaśyapa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rishi-assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rishi-assembly in a sacred coastal grove near Prabhāsa: Kaśyapa pronounces a didactic curse on the thief of lotus-stalks; lotus pond in foreground, pilgrims and ascetics listening, sea-horizon faintly visible.

Characters & Entities

• Kaśyapa
• Steya (theft)
• Nyāsa-lopa
• Kūṭa-sākṣya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Stealing triggers a chain of adharma—loss of purity, betrayal of trust, and falsehood—showing how one sin breeds others.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s tīrtha setting, the verse underscores that wrongdoing in sacred space invites severe moral consequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No positive rite is prescribed; a śāpa (imprecation) is pronounced as a dharmic response to theft.