Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सुवर्णमाषं गामेकां भूमेरप्यर्धमंगुलम् । हरन्नरकमाप्नोति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्

Transliteration

suvarṇamāṣaṃ gāmekāṃ bhūmerapyardhamaṃgulam | harannarakamāpnoti yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam

Translation

जो सुवर्णाचा माषमात्रही, एक गाय, किंवा भूमीचा अर्धा अंगुळभरही चोरतो, तो भूतसंहाराच्या प्रलयापर्यंत नरकास प्राप्त होतो.

Word by Word

• सुवर्णमाषम्: a māṣa (measure) of gold
• सुवर्णमाषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suvarṇa-māṣa (प्रातिपदिक; सुवर्ण + माष)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• एकाम्: one
• एकाम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies गाम्)

• भूमेः: of land
• भूमेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; even)

• अर्धम्: half
• अर्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (measure-object)

• अंगुलम्: a finger-breadth
• अंगुलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅgula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (measure)

• हरन्: stealing; taking away
• हरन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय, वर्तमानकाले), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्तरि (while stealing)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• आप्नोति: attains; reaches
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सकर्मक

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधि-निर्देशक/limit marker: 'until')

• आ: up to
• आ: Sambandha (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्गसदृश/particle; with yāvat = 'up to')

• भूतसंप्लवम्: the cosmic dissolution (deluge) of beings
• भूतसंप्लवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta-saṃplava (प्रातिपदिक; भूत + संप्लव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म/अवधि (object of 'until')

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa is shown being warned by sages: even a tiny lump of gold, a cow, and a sliver of land are depicted as sacred trusts; in the background, a dark naraka realm symbolizes the long consequence of theft.

Characters & Entities

• Suvarṇa (gold)
• Gau (cow)
• Bhūmi (land)
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even ‘small’ theft is spiritually weighty; dharma measures sin by principle, not by quantity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The admonition is delivered within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, shaping ethical conduct for those near the sacred field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A moral prohibition against theft, reinforced by eschatological consequence (naraka) rather than a specific rite.