Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 202

Devanagari script

त्रयीधर्मं परित्यज्य येऽन्यं धर्ममुपासते । ते नरा नरकं यांतु यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्

Transliteration

trayīdharmaṃ parityajya ye'nyaṃ dharmamupāsate | te narā narakaṃ yāṃtu yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam

Translation

ത്രിവേദധർമ്മം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് മറ്റൊരു (കുപഥ) ധർമ്മം ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നവർ, സൃഷ്ടിപ്രളയം വരെയും നരകത്തിലേക്ക് പോകട്ടെ.

Word by Word

• त्रयीधर्मम्: the Vedic (threefold) dharma
• त्रयीधर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयी + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—त्रय्याः धर्मः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रदर्शकः

• अन्यम्: another
• अन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘धर्मम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• धर्मम्: dharma
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• उपासते: worship/serve
• उपासते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + आस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

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

• नराः: men
• नराः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नरकम्: to hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यान्तु: let (them) go
• यान्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Kala-Avadhi (Temporal limit/कालावधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अवधि-निर्देशक-अव्यय (until; limit marker)

• आभूतसंप्लवम्: the cosmic dissolution (up to the great deluge)
• आभूतसंप्लवम्: Kala-Avadhi (Temporal limit/कालावधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + भूत + संप्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—आभूतानां संप्लवः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern, didactic tableau: a sage or divine voice pronounces judgment; shadowy figures turn away from Vedic fires toward a dark path, while a cosmic horizon hints at pralaya.

Characters & Entities

• Trayī-dharma
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text upholds Trayī-dharma (Vedic dharma) as the normative standard; deliberate abandonment of it is portrayed as leading to severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

While not naming a specific tīrtha in the verse, it occurs within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya (Prabhāsa region), where dharma is emphasized as the foundation of kṣetra-merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it is a doctrinal warning to remain established in Trayī-dharma.