Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 125

Devanagari script

उपायतः समारब्धाः सर्वे सिध्यंत्युपक्रमाः । हत्वा मां त्वं न शक्तो वै प्रजाः पालयितुं नृप

Transliteration

upāyataḥ samārabdhāḥ sarve sidhyaṃtyupakramāḥ | hatvā māṃ tvaṃ na śakto vai prajāḥ pālayituṃ nṛpa

Translation

Les entreprises commencées par des moyens justes réussissent en tout. Mais si tu me tues, ô roi, tu ne pourras pas vraiment protéger tes sujets.

Word by Word

• उपायतः: by a means/method
• उपायतः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; ‘उपायतः’ = उपायेन/उपायात् (by means/through method)

• समारब्धाः: undertaken/begun
• समारब्धाः: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रभ् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपसर्गः सम्+आ-; उपक्रमाः इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सिध्यन्ति: succeed/are accomplished
• सिध्यन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• उपक्रमाः: undertakings/efforts
• उपक्रमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

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

• शक्तः: able
• शक्तः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √शक् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (समर्थः)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक अव्यय (emphasis)

• प्रजाः: subjects/people
• प्रजाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• पालयितुम्: to protect/govern
• पालयितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पाल् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), क्रियार्थक

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Vasudhā (Bhū-devī / Earth-goddess)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: the speaker gestures as if enumerating ‘proper means’; the king’s posture shifts from aggression to contemplation, with attendants and sacred coastal markers behind.

Characters & Entities

• Vasudhā
• Nṛpa (the king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma succeeds when pursued through proper means; governance must prioritize the sustainable protection of subjects.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya section as a sacred landscape where dharma is taught through narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it focuses on ethical method (upāya) and rāja-dharma.