Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 111

Devanagari script

पार्वत्युवाच । लेशेनापि न सिद्ध्यंति कांक्षमाणाः परं पदम् । योनीर्भ्रमंतो दृश्यंते नरा नास्तिकवृत्तयः

Transliteration

pārvatyuvāca | leśenāpi na siddhyaṃti kāṃkṣamāṇāḥ paraṃ padam | yonīrbhramaṃto dṛśyaṃte narā nāstikavṛttayaḥ

Translation

Pārvatī dit : Bien qu’ils aspirent à l’état suprême, ils n’obtiennent aucun accomplissement, fût-ce infime. On voit les hommes à la conduite incrédule errer à travers les naissances, tournant de matrice en matrice.

Word by Word

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• लेशेन: by a small amount/even slightly
• लेशेन: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (even/also)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• सिद्ध्यन्ति: succeed/are accomplished
• सिद्ध्यन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• काङ्क्षमाणाः: desiring
• काङ्क्षमाणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काङ्क्ष् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्यय (present participle: 'desiring')

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पदम्: state/abode
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• योनीः: wombs/births
• योनीः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• भ्रमन्तः: wandering
• भ्रमन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle: 'wandering')

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen/appear
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद (passive-like: 'are seen/appear')

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• नास्तिकवृत्तयः: those of atheistic conduct
• नास्तिकवृत्तयः: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक-वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक; नास्तिक + वृत्ति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि: 'नास्तिका वृत्तिः येषाम्' (those whose conduct is atheistic)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva (Śaṃkara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī, moved with concern, points out that faithless people fail to attain the supreme goal and keep revolving through births; the scene contrasts the serene divine couple with a faint backdrop of wandering beings in saṃsāra.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Without faith aligned to dharma, aspiration alone does not yield liberation; disbelief leads to continued saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discussion is situated in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, framing liberation within tīrtha-centered dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it diagnoses the spiritual consequence of nāstika-vṛtti.