Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

अहं पर्युषितोनाम पञ्चमः पापकृत्तमः

Transliteration

ahaṃ paryuṣitonāma pañcamaḥ pāpakṛttamaḥ

Translation

“Aku yang kelima, bernama ‘Paryuṣita’—yang paling berdosa antara para pelaku kejahatan.”

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• paryuṣitaḥ: Paryuṣita (name)
• paryuṣitaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pari-uṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used as name/adjective); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः अव्ययवत् ‘called/by name’ अर्थे (indeclinable particle)

• pañcamaḥ: the fifth
• pañcamaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pāpakṛttamaḥ: the most sinful/evil-doer
• pāpakṛttamaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + tama (तमप् प्रत्यय)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पापं करोति’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष (pāpa-kṛt) तस्य तमप्-प्रत्ययेन अतिशयार्थः

Speaker

Preta (a departed spirit)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gautama (immediate listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A single preta steps forward from a group, pointing to himself in confession, with a bleak coastal wind; others watch with hollow eyes; the unseen punitive presence is felt in swirling dust.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama (context)
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sin leaves an identifying mark: harmful actions shape one’s very name and condition after death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), presented as the sacred setting where dharma-teachings are revealed through dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly in this verse; it introduces a karmic identity that is explained by later verses about improper giving.