Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

माऽधर्मं वेन कार्षीस्त्वं नैष धर्मः सनातनः । अत्रेर्वंशे प्रसूतोऽसि प्रजापतिरसंशयम्

Transliteration

mā'dharmaṃ vena kārṣīstvaṃ naiṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ | atrervaṃśe prasūto'si prajāpatirasaṃśayam

Translation

«Ne commets pas l’adharma, ô Vena; ceci n’est pas le dharma éternel (sanātana). Tu es né dans la lignée d’Atri; tu es un Prajāpati, sans aucun doute.»

Word by Word

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Prohibition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle used with injunctive/imperative sense)

• adharmam: unrighteousness
• adharmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adharma (अधर्म प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• vena: O Vena
• vena: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vena (वेन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; संबोधन विभक्ति (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• kārṣīḥ: (you) should do / did
• kārṣīḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लुङ् लकार (aorist), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; निषेध ‘mā’ सह (prohibitive: ‘do not do’)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dharmaḥ: dharma / righteousness
• dharmaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (धर्म प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sanātanaḥ: eternal
• sanātanaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (सनातन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘dharmaḥ’)

• atreḥ: of Atri
• atreḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atri (अत्रि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• vaṃśe: in the lineage
• vaṃśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa (वंश प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• prasūtaḥ: born
• prasūtaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-sū (प्र-सू धातु) + kta (क्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे (born)

• asi: are
• asi: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार, परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• prajāpatiḥ: Prajāpati
• prajāpatiḥ: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रजा) + pati (पति)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘lord of creatures’); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• asaṃśayam: undoubtedly
• asaṃśayam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: a-saṃśaya (असंशय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् नपुंसक-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative: ‘without doubt’)

Speaker

Maharṣis (led by Marīci)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rishis address Vena with firm serenity, invoking sanātana-dharma and his birth in Atri’s lineage; the contrast is between calm authority of tapas and the king’s wavering restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Vena
• Atri
• Prajāpati
• Marīci

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One’s birth, role, and lineage impose responsibility: high station must align with sanātana dharma, not personal whim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, using ethical counsel to reinforce dharma within a sacred-geography text.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction; it is a dharma-śikṣā (ethical admonition).