Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

धर्मध्वजी सदा लुब्धः परदाररतो हि यः । करोति तीर्थगमनं स नरः पातकी भवेत्

Transliteration

dharmadhvajī sadā lubdhaḥ paradārarato hi yaḥ | karoti tīrthagamanaṃ sa naraḥ pātakī bhavet

Translation

Barangsiapa berpura-pura menjunjung dharma, senantiasa tamak, dan terpikat pada istri orang lain—meski ia pergi berziarah ke tīrtha, ia tetap menjadi pendosa.

Word by Word

• धर्मध्वजी: one who makes a show of righteousness (hypocrite)
• धर्मध्वजी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म-ध्वजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; धर्मध्वजः इव आचरति इति—धर्मध्वजिन् (धर्मध्वजिन्-शब्दः)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• लुब्धः: greedy
• लुब्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लुब्ध (कृदन्त; √लुभ् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• परदाररतः: fond of others' wives
• परदाररतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर-दार-रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; परेषां दारेषु रतः (locative-relation)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• करोति: does, performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तीर्थगमनम्: going to a pilgrimage place
• तीर्थगमनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ-गमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तीर्थस्य गमनम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• नरः: man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पातकी: sinful
• पातकी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पातकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पातकयुक्तः (possessing sin)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A richly dressed pilgrim carries a dharma-banner yet is shadowed by symbols of greed and illicit desire; the sacred shrine stands unmoved, while a dark aura marks the pilgrim’s moral fall—pilgrimage as empty spectacle.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• dharma-dhvajī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer pilgrimage cannot replace inner virtue; hypocrisy, greed, and adultery negate the sanctifying intent of yātrā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra as a tīrtha whose benefits depend on ethical conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A moral restriction: pilgrimage should not be undertaken as a mere display while persisting in serious misconduct.