Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

इदं रहस्यं परमं तवोक्तं न वाच्यमेतद्धरिभक्तिवर्जिते । द्विजस्य निन्दानिरतेऽतिपापे गुरावभक्ते कृतपापबुद्धौ

Transliteration

idaṃ rahasyaṃ paramaṃ tavoktaṃ na vācyametaddharibhaktivarjite | dvijasya nindānirate'tipāpe gurāvabhakte kṛtapāpabuddhau

Translation

Ce secret suprême a été prononcé par toi ; il ne doit pas être dit à celui qui est dépourvu de dévotion envers Hari, ni au grand pécheur qui se plaît à outrager les brāhmaṇas, qui manque de foi envers le guru et dont l’esprit est tourné vers la faute.

Word by Word

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपे

• rahasyam: secret teaching
• rahasyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rahasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘secret’

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं ‘rahasyam’

• tava: by you/your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• uktam: spoken
• uktam: Karma (Predicative/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: क्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (negation): not

• vācyam: should be spoken
• vācyam: Kriyā (Predicate obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be spoken’

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘this’

• hari-bhakti-varjite: to one devoid of devotion to Hari
• hari-bhakti-varjite: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (कृदन्त, √vṛj/वर्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (हरिभक्त्या वर्जितः)

• dvijasya: of a twice-born (person)
• dvijasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘of a brāhmaṇa/twice-born’

• nindā-nirate: engaged in slander
• nindā-nirate: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nindā (प्रातिपदिक) + nirata (कृदन्त, ni+√ram/रम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (निन्दायां निरतः)

• ati-pāpe: in one extremely sinful
• ati-pāpe: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (अतिशयेन पापः)

• gurau: toward the guru
• gurau: Adhikaraṇa (Reference/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘in/with regard to the teacher’

• abhakte: in one who is not devoted
• abhakte: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + bhakta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √bhaj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; नञ्-समासभाव (not devoted)

• kṛta-pāpa-buddhau: in one whose mind is set on committed sin
• kṛta-pāpa-buddhau: Adhikaraṇa (Recipient locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त, √kṛ) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृतं पापं यस्याः बुद्धेः/यस्य बुद्धिः)

Speaker

Īśvara

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-rahasya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher pauses mid-discourse, raising a hand in caution; behind him a luminous manuscript/scroll marked as 'rahasya'; in the shadows stand figures symbolizing nindā and adharma turned away, while devoted listeners remain in light.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• dvija
• guru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teachings require moral and devotional eligibility; irreverence toward dharma and guru blocks spiritual benefit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse safeguards the transmission of the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa context) rather than naming a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restriction: do not disclose/teach this rahasya to those lacking Hari-bhakti or showing guru-disrespect and dvija-slander.