Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

न स दृष्टः पुरा याभिरंतःपुरनिवासिभिः । मद्यदोषात्ततस्तासां स्मृतिलोपात्तथा बहु

Transliteration

na sa dṛṣṭaḥ purā yābhiraṃtaḥpuranivāsibhiḥ | madyadoṣāttatastāsāṃ smṛtilopāttathā bahu

Translation

അന്തഃപുരത്തിൽ വസിച്ചിരുന്ന ആ സ്ത്രീകൾ അവനെ മുമ്പൊരിക്കലും കണ്ടിരുന്നില്ല. മദ്യദോഷം മൂലം അവരുടെ സ്മൃതി ഏറെ ലോപിച്ചു; അതിനാൽ അവർ വളരെ ആശയക്കുഴപ്പത്തിലായി.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject of passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Kriyā (Predicate in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (was seen)

• पुरा: before/formerly
• पुरा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पूर्वकाले (formerly/before)

• याभिः: by whom (by which women)
• याभिः: Karta (Agent in passive / by whom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अन्तःपुरनिवासिभिः: by the women residing in the inner apartments
• अन्तःपुरनिवासिभिः: Karta (Agent in passive / by the residents)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तःपुर + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (अन्तःपुरे निवासिनः = residents of the inner palace); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मद्यदोषात्: from the fault/effect of wine
• मद्यदोषात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्य + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (मद्यस्य दोषः = fault/effect of wine); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (thereupon/then)

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• स्मृतिलोपात्: from loss of memory
• स्मृतिलोपात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति + लोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (स्मृतेः लोपः = loss of memory); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), एवम्/तद्वत् (thus/likewise)

• बहु: greatly/much
• बहु: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial use of neuter accusative), अत्यर्थे (much/greatly)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inner apartments (antaḥpura) with women in disarray as intoxication causes forgetfulness; a moralizing tableau set against the aura of Prabhāsa’s sacred coast.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmba (implied)
• antaḥpura-nivāsibhiḥ (inner palace women)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intoxication (madya-doṣa) leads to smṛti-lopa—loss of discernment and memory—opening the door to improper reactions and adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the narrative’s moral consequences unfold against a sacred-geographical backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse functions as a dharmic caution regarding intoxication.