Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

चण्डाली बंधकी वेश्या रजःस्था या च कन्यका । कुटिला च स्वगोत्रा च वृषल्यः सप्त कीर्तिताः

Transliteration

caṇḍālī baṃdhakī veśyā rajaḥsthā yā ca kanyakā | kuṭilā ca svagotrā ca vṛṣalyaḥ sapta kīrtitāḥ

Translation

ചണ്ഡാളി, ബന്ധകി, വേശ്യ, രജഃസ്ഥയായ കന്യക, കപടസ്ത്രീ, സ്വഗോത്രസ്ത്രീ—ഇങ്ങനെ ഏഴ് വിധ ‘വൃഷലി’കൾ പ്രസ്താവിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• चण्डाली: a caṇḍāla woman
• चण्डाली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डाली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (जातिवाचक)

• बंधकी: a kept woman/concubine (bandhakī)
• बंधकी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बंधकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वेश्या: a prostitute
• वेश्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेश्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• रजःस्था: menstruating
• रजःस्था: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रजस् (प्रातिपदिक) + स्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘रजसि स्थिता’ इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः

• या: who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (and)

• कन्यका: a young girl/maiden
• कन्यका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्यका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कुटिला: crooked, deceitful
• कुटिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुटिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (and)

• स्वगोत्रा: of one’s own gotra (same-clan)
• स्वगोत्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्वं गोत्रं यस्याः/यत्र’ इति तत्पुरुषः (same-gotra/one’s own clan)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (and)

• वृषल्यः: vṛṣalīs (women of that type)
• वृषल्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषल्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र विशेषणम् (numeral adjective), प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे

• कीर्तिताः: are declared/mentioned
• कीर्तिताः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तित (कृदन्त; √कीर्त्/√कृत्? here √कीर्त् ‘to mention’)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगे ‘are declared/mentioned’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic assembly of sages in Prabhāsa, reciting dharma classifications; palm-leaf manuscripts, ritual vessels, and a distant glimpse of Somnātha’s sacred coast.

Characters & Entities

• gotra (lineage category)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual life is safeguarded by clear dharma boundaries; transgressions in sexuality, lineage rules, and purity codes are treated as spiritually obstructive.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the sacred setting; the Māhātmya teaches how to preserve the fruit of rites performed in such a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical implication for Śrāddha/pāṅkti: avoid including or associating with categories deemed ritually disqualifying by the text.