Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 123

Devanagari script

सुपुत्रो हृदयेऽभ्येति मातापित्रोर्दिनेदिने । पित्रोर्दुःखाय धिग्जन्म तस्य दुष्कृतकर्मणः

Transliteration

suputro hṛdaye'bhyeti mātāpitrordinedine | pitrorduḥkhāya dhigjanma tasya duṣkṛtakarmaṇaḥ

Translation

Le bon fils entre, jour après jour, plus profondément dans le cœur de sa mère et de son père. Mais—honte à la naissance de ce malfaiteur dont la vie n’est que source de peine pour ses parents.

Word by Word

• सुपुत्रः: a good son
• सुपुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सु + पुत्र)

• हृदये: in the heart
• हृदये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अभ्येति: enters/comes into
• अभ्येति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; उपसर्गः अभि-; परस्मैपदम्

• मातापित्रोः: of mother and father
• मातापित्रोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माता + पितृ (प्रातिपदिक-द्वन्द्व)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समाहार/द्वन्द्व-समासे), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• दिने: in a day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दिने: day by day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति—‘day after day’

• पित्रोः: of the two parents (father & mother)/of the parents
• पित्रोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• दुःखाय: for sorrow
• दुःखाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• धिक्: fie/shame on
• धिक्: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिक् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-अव्यय (interjection of censure)

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that (man)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दुष्कृतकर्मणः: of the evil-deed-doer / of one whose actions are wicked
• दुष्कृतकर्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्कृत + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दुष्कृतस्य कर्म)

Speaker

Narrator (implied, within Nārada’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Contrasting emotional portrait: a virtuous son bows to mother and father, offering water/flowers; their faces soften with affection. In a shadowed vignette, the wicked-doer’s figure is hinted as a cautionary silhouette.

Characters & Entities

• Mother
• Father
• Suputra
• Duṣkṛta (evil deeds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True merit in birth is measured by dharmic conduct and service to parents; sinful conduct turns life into a burden for those who gave it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa) is the narrative setting; the verse reinforces dharma as the prerequisite for receiving a kṣetra’s higher spiritual fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is ethical instruction about conduct and karmic consequence.