Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

सरस्वत्या तु ताः प्रोक्ता भवंत्यो ब्रह्मघातिकाः । अन्यथा कारणात्कस्मान्न स्पृष्टममरैर्मुखम्

Transliteration

sarasvatyā tu tāḥ proktā bhavaṃtyo brahmaghātikāḥ | anyathā kāraṇātkasmānna spṛṣṭamamarairmukham

Translation

Mais Sarasvatī déclara qu’elles deviennent « meurtrières d’un brāhmaṇa » ; autrement, pour quelle raison les Immortels n’auraient-ils pas touché leur bouche ?

Word by Word

• सरस्वत्या: by Sarasvatī
• सरस्वत्या: Karana (Agent/instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• ताः: they (those women)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रोक्ताः: were called/declared
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (kta); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

• भवंत्यः: ladies/you women
• भवंत्यः: Apposition (सम्बोधन/समासन्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (भवत्-शब्दः) संबोधनार्थे प्रसिद्धः, अत्र सामान्य-प्रयोगः

• ब्रह्मघातिकाः: Brahmin-slayers
• ब्रह्मघातिकाः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्तृ-समाना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + घातिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः घातिका = slayer of a Brahmin)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• कारणात्: from what reason/cause
• कारणात्: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• कस्मात्: from what (why)
• कस्मात्: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• स्पृष्टम्: touched
• स्पृष्टम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु) → स्पृष्ट (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (kta); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (मुखम्) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अमरैः: by the immortals (gods)
• अमरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मुखम्: mouth/face
• मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (reporting Sarasvatī’s statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sarasvatī, radiant and austere, pronounces a grave judgment; nearby devas avert their faces, refusing to touch the offending mouths, emphasizing ritual and moral recoil.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Amaras (Devas)
• Brahma-ghātikāḥ (brahma-slayers)
• Gomātaraḥ (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes the gravity of brahmahatyā and explains ritual avoidance as rooted in moral-cosmic causality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where doctrines of sin, purity, and their consequences are articulated within the site’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prohibition: the mouth is not to be touched, linked to the doctrine of brahmahatyā (grave sin).