Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

यद्येको घातयेत्तत्र सर्वे ते घातकाः स्मृताः । प्रायश्चित्ते व्यवसिते यदि कर्ता विपद्यते

Transliteration

yadyeko ghātayettatra sarve te ghātakāḥ smṛtāḥ | prāyaścitte vyavasite yadi kartā vipadyate

Translation

അവരിൽ ഒരാൾ കൊലപ്പെടുത്തിയാലും, അവരെല്ലാം ഘാതകരായി കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം നിശ്ചയിച്ച ശേഷം കർത്താവ് മരിച്ചാൽ...

Word by Word

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Logical condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपात (conditional particle)

• ekaḥ: one (person)
• ekaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• ghātayet: should cause to kill / orders killing
• ghātayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ghātaya (धातु √han, णिच् causative)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: 'cause to kill')

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• ghātakāḥ: killers
• ghātakāḥ: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• smṛtāḥ: are regarded/considered
• smṛtāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛta (कृदन्त; √smṛ स्मरणे, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (passive sense: 'are considered')

• prāyaścitte: in the expiation
• prāyaścitte: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• vyavasite: when determined/decided
• vyavasite: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyavasita (कृदन्त; √vas/√sad?; here √vas 'to settle' with vi-ava-; क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying prāyaścitte)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Logical condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपात

• kartā: the doer/agent
• kartā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• vipadyate: perishes/comes to ruin
• vipadyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pad (धातु) with vi-; vipad (विपत्तौ)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual attribution within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of armed accomplices stands behind a single striker; a dharma-judge points to each, indicating shared guilt. In the next moment, a penitent collapses (death) while others look on anxiously, suggesting the urgency of completing expiation collectively.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Participation in a harmful collective act binds all participants; moral responsibility is not escaped by delegating the final blow.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative framework is Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, culminating in the saving power of Prabhāsa and Sarasvatī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse refers to undertaking a decided prāyaścitta (expiation), preparing for the rule about what happens if the performer dies mid-course.