Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

मद्भक्तिबलदर्पिष्ठा मत्प्रियं न नमंति ये । वासुदेवं न ते ज्ञेया मद्भक्ताः पापिनो हि ते

Transliteration

madbhaktibaladarpiṣṭhā matpriyaṃ na namaṃti ye | vāsudevaṃ na te jñeyā madbhaktāḥ pāpino hi te

Translation

Ceux qui, enflés par la force de leur (prétendue) dévotion envers moi, ne s’inclinent pas devant ce qui m’est cher, ne les tenez pas pour des dévots de Vāsudeva ; en vérité, ils sont pécheurs.

Word by Word

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun) used as पूर्वपद-सम्बन्ध (possessive qualifier)

• भक्ति: devotion
• भक्ति: Hetu/Upādāna (cause/means, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासपूर्वपद (as member in compound)

• बल: strength
• बल: Hetu/Upādāna (cause/means, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासपूर्वपद

• दर्पिष्ठाः: very proud
• दर्पिष्ठाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दर्पिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; दर्प + इष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); अतिशयवाचक (superlative)

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम used as possessive qualifier

• प्रियम्: beloved (one)/dear (thing)
• प्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• नमन्ति: bow (to)
• नमन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• वासुदेवम्: Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• वासुदेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ज्ञेयाः: to be known (as)
• ज्ञेयाः: Karta (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञेय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ज्ञा + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विधिलिङ्गार्थ-योग्य (to be known)

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• भक्ताः: devotees
• भक्ताः: Karta (Predicate noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √भज् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पापिनः: sinful
• पापिनः: Karta (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (sentence particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Copular subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (didactic continuation in the passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva’s admonition scene: a proud ascetic/sectarian figure refuses to bow before a symbol dear to Hari (a Vaiṣṇava, a śālagrāma, or a Viṣṇu shrine), while true devotees bow with humility; Śiva indicates the proud one as ‘pāpī’.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti without humility becomes hypocrisy; true devotion honors what the Lord Himself holds dear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya, though the verse itself is ethical rather than geographical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A behavioral prescription: offer reverence (namaskāra) and avoid pride masquerading as devotion.