Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

चौरः किलायं संप्राप्तः सर्वोद्वेगकरः परः । दंडप्रहाराभिहतो नीयते दंडपाशकैः

Transliteration

cauraḥ kilāyaṃ saṃprāptaḥ sarvodvegakaraḥ paraḥ | daṃḍaprahārābhihato nīyate daṃḍapāśakaiḥ

Translation

എല്ലാവർക്കും ഭീതിയുണ്ടാക്കിയ ഈ കള്ളൻ തീർച്ചയായും പിടിയിലായി. വടികൊണ്ടുള്ള അടി കൊണ്ട്, കാവൽക്കാർ അവനെ കൊണ്ടുപോകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• चौरः: thief
• चौरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• किल: indeed, it is said
• किल: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अर्थे—खलु/इति प्रसिद्धौ (indeed/it is said)

• अयम्: this (man)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• संप्राप्तः: has arrived, has come
• संप्राप्तः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+प्र+आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past participle, -kta), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत्/विधेय (predicate)

• सर्वोद्वेगकरः: causing fear/alarm to all
• सर्वोद्वेगकरः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + उद्वेग + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वस्य उद्वेगं करोति)

• परः: very, extreme; other (here: exceedingly)
• परः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दण्डप्रहाराभिहतः: beaten with staff-blows
• दण्डप्रहाराभिहतः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दण्ड + प्रहार + अभि+हन् (धातु) → अभिहत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (दण्डप्रहारैः अभिहतः = struck by blows of a staff)

• नीयते: is being led
• नीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• दण्डपाशकैः: by the staff-bearing guards/constables
• दण्डपाशकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड + पाशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः (दण्डेन पाशकाः/दण्डयुक्ताः पाशकाः)

Speaker

Festival announcers/performers (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A thief, bruised from staff blows, is bound and led by officers holding staffs and nooses; the crowd watches with mixed relief and dread; sacred buildings loom nearby, underscoring protection of the holy place.

Characters & Entities

• caura (thief)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Theft disrupts communal peace; dharma requires restraint and lawful order, taught here through public deterrent display.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where even governance-ethics (rāja-dharma) are taught as part of sacred festival culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A staged procession of an apprehended thief being led by guards, as a moral lesson during the utsava.