Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

कूटशाल्मलिबद्धाश्च तीक्ष्णकण्टकपीडिताः । छिद्रान्वेषणसंयुक्ताः परेषां नित्यसंस्थिताः

Transliteration

kūṭaśālmalibaddhāśca tīkṣṇakaṇṭakapīḍitāḥ | chidrānveṣaṇasaṃyuktāḥ pareṣāṃ nityasaṃsthitāḥ

Translation

മുളളുകളുള്ള കൂട്ട്-ശാൽമലീ വൃക്ഷങ്ങളിൽ ബന്ധിക്കപ്പെട്ട്, മൂർച്ചയുള്ള മുളളാൽ പീഡിതരായി, അവർ എപ്പോഴും കുറ്റം തേടുന്നതിൽ തന്നെ—നിത്യവും മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ ദൗർബല്യങ്ങളിൽ പതിഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• कूट-शाल्मलि-बद्धाः: bound to a kūṭa-śālmalī (silk-cotton tree with thorns)
• कूट-शाल्मलि-बद्धाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कूट (प्रातिपदिक) + शाल्मलि (प्रातिपदिक) + बद्ध (कृदन्त; √बन्ध् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘बद्ध’ = bound; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• तीक्ष्ण-कण्टक-पीडिताः: tormented by sharp thorns
• तीक्ष्ण-कण्टक-पीडिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + कण्टक (प्रातिपदिक) + पीडित (कृदन्त; √पीड् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘पीडित’ = tormented; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• छिद्र-अन्वेषण-संयुक्ताः: engaged in searching for holes/flaws
• छिद्र-अन्वेषण-संयुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वेषण (कृदन्त/भाव; √इष्/अन्वेष् धातु) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त; √युज् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘संयुक्त’ = joined/engaged; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• परेषाम्: of others
• परेषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; ‘others’ (genitive)

• नित्य-संस्थिताः: always stationed (there)
• नित्य-संस्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था धातु, उपसर्ग सम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘संस्थित’ = stationed/remaining; कर्मधारयः

Speaker

Yama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Slanderers and fault-finders are bound to thorny śālmalī trees, pierced by sharp spines, still obsessively searching for others’ flaws—an endless loop of malice and pain.

Characters & Entities

• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A mind addicted to fault-finding (doṣānveṣaṇa) is condemned; dharma favors self-correction over constant criticism of others.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra provides the māhātmya context, where ethical instruction supports the sanctity and discipline of pilgrimage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is ethical instruction (avoid nindā and habitual fault-finding).