Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 129

Devanagari script

एकस्यार्थे च यो हन्यादात्मनो वा परस्य वा । एकं वापि बहून्वापि कामतश्चास्ति पातकम्

Transliteration

ekasyārthe ca yo hanyādātmano vā parasya vā | ekaṃ vāpi bahūnvāpi kāmataścāsti pātakam

Translation

Quiconque tue pour le bien d'un seul, que ce soit pour lui-même ou pour autrui, qu'il tue une ou plusieurs personnes, commet un péché s'il agit par désir.

Word by Word

• ekasya: of one
• ekasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• arthe: for the sake (purpose)
• arthe: Nimitta/Hetu (Cause/Purpose/निमित्त)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम

• hanyāt: should kill
• hanyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ātmanaḥ: of oneself
• ātmanaḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• parasya: of another
• parasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• ekam: one (person)
• ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक

• api: even, also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कारक (also/even)

• bahūn: many (persons)
• bahūn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक

• api: even, also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कारक (also/even)

• kāmataḥ: at will, intentionally
• kāmataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kāmatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (according to desire/willingly)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• asti: there is
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• pātakam: sin, guilt
• pātakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Rājā (Vainya / Pṛthu, the king in this episode)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmic debate at Prabhāsa: a ruler/hero with bow contemplates the moral weight of killing driven by desire; sages or a divine witness frame the teaching on kāma-hetu pātaka.

Characters & Entities

• Rājā (Vainya/Pṛthu implied)
• Vasudhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violence becomes sinful when driven by personal desire (kāma) rather than dharma and public welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the māhātmya uses this dialogue to frame dharma within sacred space.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a moral criterion for action rather than a ritual instruction.