Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ज्ञानिनोपि यदा स्वार्थमाश्रित्य ध्यानमास्थिताः । दुःखार्त्तानीह सत्त्वानि क्व यास्यंति सुखं ततः

Transliteration

jñāninopi yadā svārthamāśritya dhyānamāsthitāḥ | duḥkhārttānīha sattvāni kva yāsyaṃti sukhaṃ tataḥ

Translation

ജ്ഞാനികളും സ്വാർത്ഥം ആശ്രയിച്ച് ധ്യാനത്തിൽ ഇരിക്കുമ്പോൾ, ഈ ലോകത്തിലെ ദുഃഖാർത്ത ജീവികൾക്ക് സുഖം എവിടെ ലഭിക്കും?

Word by Word

• jñāninaḥ: the wise (people)
• jñāninaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñānin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (relative temporal adverb: when)

• svārtham: self-interest
• svārtham: Karman (Object; of āśritya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva-artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Accusative singular); तत्पुरुषः — “one’s own interest”

• āśritya: having resorted to
• āśritya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√śri (श्रि धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund) — “having resorted to”

• dhyānam: meditation
• dhyānam: Karman (Object; of āsthitāḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• āsthitāḥ: have undertaken; have entered upon
• āsthitāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āsthita (ā-√sthā धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle used predicatively); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — “having undertaken/entered upon”

• duḥkha-ārtāni: distressed; suffering-stricken
• duḥkha-ārtāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of sattvāni)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha + ārta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः — “afflicted by suffering”

• iha: here
• iha: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• sattvāni: beings; creatures
• sattvāni: Karta (Subject; of yāsyanti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• kva: where
• kva: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Interrogative place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक देशवाचक (interrogative adverb: where)

• yāsyanti: will go
• yāsyanti: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (3rd person plural); परस्मैपद

• sukham: happiness
• sukham: Karman (Goal/object of attainment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• tataḥ: then; from that
• tataḥ: Hetu/Apādāna (Source/Consequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) — “from that/thereupon/then”

Speaker

Unnamed ṛṣi (contextual speaker within the narrative; later Śiva speaks at v.24)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A juxtaposition: the sage in a meditative posture, yet eyes open with compassion toward suffering creatures; the background shows the worldly scene of harm, implying that true contemplation must respond to visible duḥkha.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual practice divorced from compassion fails society; dharma demands concern for suffering beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse occurs within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, highlighting Prabhāsa as a dharma-educating pilgrimage field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse critiques self-centered spirituality and implies service/protection as dharma.