Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

ततो दुःखतरं किं स्याद्यत्पापैः सह संगमः

Transliteration

tato duḥkhataraṃ kiṃ syādyatpāpaiḥ saha saṃgamaḥ

Translation

Qu’y a-t-il de plus douloureux que de s’associer aux pécheurs et de les fréquenter ?

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter; from that
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः = अपादानार्थ/हेतुवाचक (from that/thereafter)

• duḥkhataraṃ: more painful
• duḥkhataraṃ: Pradhāna-predicative (Predicate/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + तर (तद्धित; comparative)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• syāt: could be / would be
• syāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yat: that (namely/that which)
• yat: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yat (यद्-प्रातिपदिक; relative pronoun)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय; यत् = यत् कारणे/यदर्थे (introducing reason/that which)

• pāpaiḥ: with sinners/with sins (lit. with the sinful ones)
• pāpaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• saha: with
• saha: Sambandha (Association marker/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सह = सहार्थक उपपद (with)

• saṃgamaḥ: association, contact
• saṃgamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgama (प्रातिपदिक; saṃ-√gam)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sarasvatī (continuation from Śloka 24)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative close-up of Sarasvatī’s face as she utters an aphoristic lament: nothing is more painful than meeting/associating with the sinful; the background fades into symbolic shadows of bad company contrasted with a small circle of luminous satsaṅga.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Company shapes destiny; avoiding pāpa-saṅga and seeking satsanga is essential, especially in Kali-yuga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra serves as the sacred setting, implying that tīrtha-space supports purity against corrupting influences.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it is an ethical injunction about association (saṅga).