Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

यो नार्चयति पापिष्ठो देवमन्यत्र गच्छति । कोटिजन्मार्जितं पुण्यं हरते रुक्मिणीपतिः

Transliteration

yo nārcayati pāpiṣṭho devamanyatra gacchati | koṭijanmārjitaṃ puṇyaṃ harate rukmiṇīpatiḥ

Translation

ദേവനെ ആരാധിക്കാത്ത പാപിഷ്ഠൻ മറ്റിടത്തേക്ക് പോകുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, അവന്റെ കോടി ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സമ്പാദിച്ച പുണ്യം രുക്മിണീപതി ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണൻ അപഹരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अर्चयति: worships
• अर्चयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापिष्ठः: most sinful
• पापिष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + इष्ठ-प्रत्यय, superlative)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• देवम्: the deity (God)
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: elsewhere)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• कोटि-जन्य-आर्जितम्: earned over crores of births
• कोटि-जन्य-आर्जितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्जित (कृदन्त; √अर्ज्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/सम्बन्धार्थः (koṭi-janma-ārjitam = earned through crores of births)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हरते: takes away
• हरते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• रुक्मिणीपतिः: the lord of Rukmiṇī (Kṛṣṇa)
• रुक्मिणीपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुक्मिणी (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (rukmiṇyāḥ patiḥ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Daityarājendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim turns away from Kṛṣṇa’s shrine, distracted and irreverent; behind him, a luminous store of merit (as golden grains or a shining ledger) is drawn back into Kṛṣṇa’s hand, while the pilgrim’s aura dims—an admonitory tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Rukmiṇīpati (Kṛṣṇa)
• Deva (the Lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of worship and disregard for rightful devotion can nullify accumulated merit; reverence and bhakti are central in a tīrtha’s dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s devotional framework is implied through the invocation of Rukmiṇīpati (Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship) of the Lord—implied as the primary duty rather than wandering “elsewhere” in disregard.