Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

पापिनां रक्षणार्थं वै विघ्नार्थं दुष्टचेतसाम् । तस्मात्त्वं मम सांनिध्ये तिष्ठ चक्रधरो हरे

Transliteration

pāpināṃ rakṣaṇārthaṃ vai vighnārthaṃ duṣṭacetasām | tasmāttvaṃ mama sāṃnidhye tiṣṭha cakradharo hare

Translation

En vérité, j’ai été établi pour protéger même les pécheurs et pour entraver ceux dont l’esprit est mauvais. C’est pourquoi, ô Hari, Porteur du Disque, demeure ici en ma présence.

Word by Word

• pāpinām: of sinners
• pāpinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpin (पापिन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/विशेष्य-समूह, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• rakṣaṇa-artham: for protection
• rakṣaṇa-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakṣaṇa (रक्षण प्रातिपदिक) + artha (अर्थ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/उद्देश्य: ‘for the sake of protection’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (वै अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (indeed)

• vighna-artham: for obstruction
• vighna-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vighna (विघ्न प्रातिपदिक) + artha (अर्थ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उद्देश्य: ‘for (creating) obstacle’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• duṣṭa-cetasām: of the wicked-minded
• duṣṭa-cetasām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duṣṭa (दुष्ट) + cetas (चेतस्)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘wicked-minded’); (cetas) नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (तस्मात् अव्यय/तद्-प्रयोग)
• Form: हेतौ/तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (therefore)

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

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sāṃnidhye: in (my) presence
• sāṃnidhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāṃnidhya (सान्निध्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• tiṣṭha: stay; stand
• tiṣṭha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• cakra-dharaḥ: O discus-bearer
• cakra-dharaḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra (चक्र) + dhara (धर)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपपद: ‘discus-bearer’); पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, एकवचन (here vocative sense)

• hare: O Hari
• hare: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (हरि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Daṇḍapāṇi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Daṇḍapāṇi declares his mission: to protect sinners and obstruct the wicked-minded; he invites Viṣṇu to remain present with him—two protective powers standing together in the sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Daṇḍapāṇi
• Hari (Viṣṇu, Cakradhara)
• Pāpins (sinners)
• Duṣṭacetas (wicked-minded)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s dharma includes both compassion (protection) and moral safeguarding (hindering wrongdoing).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa kṣetra, where protective forces are described as operating for the welfare of beings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes kṣetra-dharma—how the sacred field protects and restrains.