Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

पशुमुख उवाच । परस्य प्रेष्यतां यातु सदा जन्मनिजन्मनि । सर्वधर्म क्रियाहीनो बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः

Transliteration

paśumukha uvāca | parasya preṣyatāṃ yātu sadā janmanijanmani | sarvadharma kriyāhīno bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ

Translation

Paśumukha dit : « Celui qui commet le bisastainya (le vol des tiges de lotus) devient le serviteur d’autrui, naissance après naissance, et demeure privé de toute observance du dharma et de tout devoir religieux. »

Word by Word

• पशुमुखः: Paśumukha (name)
• पशुमुखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पशोः मुखम् इव मुखं यस्य/पशुमुखः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परस्य: of another
• परस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रेष्यताम्: servitude, being a servant
• प्रेष्यताम्: Gati/Phala (Result state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भावे/अवस्थायाम् (state of being a servant)

• यातु: let (him) go/attain
• यातु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• जन्मनि: in (a) birth
• जन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• जन्मनि: in (every) birth
• जन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (iterative)

• सर्वधर्मः: one who is all-dharma / (intended) all dharma
• सर्वधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वः धर्मः)

• क्रियाहीनः: devoid of (religious) acts
• क्रियाहीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रिया + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (क्रियया हीनः = devoid of rites/actions)

• बिसस्तैन्यम्: theft of lotus-stalks
• बिसस्तैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिस + स्तैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• करोति: does/commits
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

Speaker

Paśumukha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Paśumukha declares the karmic result: a figure shown in successive life-frames serving others, carrying burdens, while ritual fires and prayer implements lie unused—symbolizing ‘sarva-dharma-kriyā-hīna’.

Characters & Entities

• Paśumukha
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text links theft with long-term loss of autonomy and spiritual discipline across repeated births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra remains the overarching sacred context; this verse is a general karmic warning.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it notes deprivation of dharma-practice as a consequence.