Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

मद्भक्तिबलदर्पिष्ठा मत्प्रियं न नमंति ये । वासुदेवं न ते ज्ञेया मद्भक्ताः पापिनो हि ते

Transliteration

madbhaktibaladarpiṣṭhā matpriyaṃ na namaṃti ye | vāsudevaṃ na te jñeyā madbhaktāḥ pāpino hi te

Translation

എന്റെ ഭക്തിബലത്തിൽ അഹങ്കരിച്ച് എനിക്ക് പ്രിയമായതിനോട് നമസ്കരിക്കാത്തവരെ വാസുദേവഭക്തരെന്ന് കരുതരുത്; അവർ തീർച്ചയായും പാപികളാണ്.

Word by Word

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun) used as पूर्वपद-सम्बन्ध (possessive qualifier)

• भक्ति: devotion
• भक्ति: Hetu/Upādāna (cause/means, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासपूर्वपद (as member in compound)

• बल: strength
• बल: Hetu/Upādāna (cause/means, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासपूर्वपद

• दर्पिष्ठाः: very proud
• दर्पिष्ठाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दर्पिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; दर्प + इष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); अतिशयवाचक (superlative)

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम used as possessive qualifier

• प्रियम्: beloved (one)/dear (thing)
• प्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (sentence particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• नमन्ति: bow (to)
• नमन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• वासुदेवम्: Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• वासुदेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (sentence particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ज्ञेयाः: to be known (as)
• ज्ञेयाः: Karta (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञेय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ज्ञा + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विधिलिङ्गार्थ-योग्य (to be known)

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• भक्ताः: devotees
• भक्ताः: Karta (Predicate noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √भज् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पापिनः: sinful
• पापिनः: Karta (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (sentence particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Copular subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (didactic continuation in the passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva’s admonition scene: a proud ascetic/sectarian figure refuses to bow before a symbol dear to Hari (a Vaiṣṇava, a śālagrāma, or a Viṣṇu shrine), while true devotees bow with humility; Śiva indicates the proud one as ‘pāpī’.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti without humility becomes hypocrisy; true devotion honors what the Lord Himself holds dear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya, though the verse itself is ethical rather than geographical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A behavioral prescription: offer reverence (namaskāra) and avoid pride masquerading as devotion.