Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 131

Devanagari script

प्रायेण श्रीमदालेपान्नहुषाद्या महानृपाः । स्वर्गं प्राप्यापि पतिताः कः श्रियो विंदते सुखम्

Transliteration

prāyeṇa śrīmadālepānnahuṣādyā mahānṛpāḥ | svargaṃ prāpyāpi patitāḥ kaḥ śriyo viṃdate sukham

Translation

സാധാരണയായി നഹുഷാദി മഹാരാജാക്കന്മാർ ശ്രീ-സമൃദ്ധിയുടെ ദീപ്തിയിൽ ലേപിതരായിട്ടും സ്വർഗം പ്രാപിച്ചിട്ടും പതിതരായി; ഭാഗ്യസമ്പത്ത് മാത്രത്താൽ ആര് സത്യസുഖം കണ്ടെത്തും?

Word by Word

• प्रायेण: generally, for the most part
• प्रायेण: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘प्रायः’ इत्यर्थे, तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत-प्रयोगः

• श्रीमदालेपात्: from the smear/coating of prosperity (i.e., from attachment to wealth)
• श्रीमदालेपात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमद् (प्रातिपदिक) + आलेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (श्रीमदः आलेपः = ‘श्रीमत्-आलेपः’), पञ्चमी: ‘श्रीमदालेपात्’

• नहुषाद्याः: Nahusha and others
• नहुषाद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नहुष (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नहुषः आदिः येषाम्) ‘नहुषादयः’

• महानृपाः: great kings
• महानृपाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महान् नृपः)

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Kriya-viseshana (Converb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘प्राप्य’ = प्र-आप् + क्त्वा (ल्यप्); पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having attained)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle): अपि = ‘even/also’

• पतिताः: fell, fallen
• पतिताः: Karta-predicative (कर्तृसम्बन्धी विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle): पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘पतित’ = fallen

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• श्रियो: of prosperity, of fortune
• श्रियो: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘श्रियाḥ’ इत्यस्य वैदिक/काव्य-रूप ‘श्रियो’

• विंदते: finds, obtains
• विंदते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: विद् (लभे/विन्दते)

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant king (Nahuṣa) enthroned amid celestial splendor, yet a shadow of downfall behind him; sages in the foreground as moral counterweight; the glitter of prosperity depicted as a smear/overlay that cannot protect from descent.

Characters & Entities

• Nahuṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even heavenly attainment is unstable when pride and attachment remain; lasting happiness is rooted in dharma and self-restraint, not mere prosperity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse uses an itihāsa example (Nahuṣa) for moral instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the implied practice is humility and righteous conduct to avoid the downfall that follows pride.