Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । नित्यं कामरतः सोस्तु दिवा सेवतु मैथुनम् । नीचकर्मरतश्चैव बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | nityaṃ kāmarataḥ sostu divā sevatu maithunam | nīcakarmarataścaiva bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ

Translation

વિશ્વામિત્રે કહ્યું—જે બિસસ્તૈન્ય કરે, તે સદા કામાસક્ત રહે; દિવસે પણ મૈથુનસેવન કરે; અને નીચ કર્મોમાં રત બને.

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रः: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• कामरतः: devoted to desire
• कामरतः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma + rata (प्रातिपदिक; ‘रम’ धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘रत’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• अस्तु: let him be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Injunctive/curse verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• दिवा: by day
• दिवा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• सेवतु: let him practice/engage in
• सेवतु: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मैथुनम्: sexual intercourse
• मैथुनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maithuna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• नीचकर्मरतः: devoted to low deeds
• नीचकर्मरतः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nīca + karma + rata (प्रातिपदिक; ‘रम’ धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘रत’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis/particle)

• बिसस्तैन्यम्: theft of lotus-stalks
• बिसस्तैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bisa + stainya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (बिसस्य स्तैन्यम् = बिस-चौर्यम्)

• करोति: does/commits
• करोति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rishi-assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra speaks with stern intensity; symbolic depiction of a man chasing sensual pleasures under the bright sun (divā), contrasted with a sacred pond and ascetics practicing restraint—showing fall from tapas to nīca-karma.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked wrongdoing fuels further loss of restraint, drawing the mind toward compulsive desire and degrading actions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa sacred region frames the teaching; this particular verse is a moral warning within the māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; it is a description of karmic tendencies (vāsanā) arising from sin.