Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

पूर्वकर्मानुसंयोगाद्विकर्मणि रतः सदा । तस्यां रात्र्यामहं तत्र जनमध्ये तु संस्थितः

Transliteration

pūrvakarmānusaṃyogādvikarmaṇi rataḥ sadā | tasyāṃ rātryāmahaṃ tatra janamadhye tu saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

പൂർവകർമ്മഫലസംബന്ധം മൂലം ഞാൻ എപ്പോഴും ദുഷ്കർമ്മങ്ങളിൽ രതനായിരുന്നു. എന്നാൽ ആ രാത്രിയിൽ ഞാൻ അവിടെ ജനക്കൂട്ടത്തിനിടയിൽ നിന്നിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• पूर्व-कर्म-अनुसंयोगात्: due to the connection with former karma
• पूर्व-कर्म-अनुसंयोगात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुसंयोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पूर्वकर्मणः अनुसंयोगः) + पञ्चमी = हेतौ/कारणे ‘due to’

• विकर्मणि: in wrongdoing, in sinful acts
• विकर्मणि: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• रतः: engaged, devoted
• रतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत (कृदन्त; √रम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘attached/engaged’

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• तस्याम्: in that
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• रात्र्याम्: night
• रात्र्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• जन-मध्ये: among the people, in the crowd
• जन-मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (जनानां मध्ये)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• संस्थितः: stationed, standing
• संस्थितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-√स्था (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (having stood/being stationed)

Speaker

Unspecified first-person narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya (deductively: the same thief-speaker)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed woman (varānane) implied in adjacent verse sequence

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at Prabhāsa: a dense pilgrim crowd with lamps and banners; in the shadows stands a solitary figure, tense and watchful, yet enveloped by the collective sanctity of the gathering.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Karma
• Śivarātri (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Past karma can incline one toward vikarma, yet proximity to a sacred observance and holy assembly can become a turning point.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, depicted as a gathering-place on Śivarātri.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is stated; the verse situates the speaker during the Śivarātri night among devotees.