Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

स्वपत्नीं बंदुलां नाम हित्वा प्रतिनिशं तथा । वेश्याभवनमासाद्य रमते स्मरपीडितः

Transliteration

svapatnīṃ baṃdulāṃ nāma hitvā pratiniśaṃ tathā | veśyābhavanamāsādya ramate smarapīḍitaḥ

Translation

அவன் ‘பந்துலா’ என்னும் தன் மனைவியை விட்டு, இரவு தோறும் வेश्यைகளின் இல்லத்திற்குச் சென்று, காமதேவனின் துன்பத்தால் வாட்டமுற்று அங்கே இன்புறுவான்.

Word by Word

• svapatnīm: Own wife
• svapatnīm: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapatnī (sva + patnī)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• baṃdulām: Bandula (Name)
• baṃdulām: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Noun
• Root: baṃdulā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• nāma: Named
• nāma: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• hitvā: Having abandoned
• hitvā: Purvakala Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: hā (धातु)
• Form: Ktva Pratyaya (Absolutive)

• pratiniśam: Every night
• pratiniśam: Adhikaran (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratiniśam (prati + niśā)
• Form: Adverbial Compound

• tathā: Thus/Also
• tathā: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• veśyābhavanam: Harlot's house
• veśyābhavanam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśyābhavana (veśyā + bhavana)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• āsādya: Having reached
• āsādya: Purvakala Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (ā + sad)
• Form: Lyap Pratyaya (Absolutive)

• ramate: Enjoys
• ramate: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ram (धातु)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), 3rd Person, Singular, Atmanepada

• smarapīḍitaḥ: Tormented by love/lust
• smarapīḍitaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smarapīḍita (smara + pīḍita)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from Brāhma Khaṇḍa / Brahmottara-khaṇḍa narrative setting)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene: Vidura leaving his home, wife Bandulā left behind; the courtesans’ quarter lit with alluring lamps; Kāma’s presence suggested as an unseen force pulling him.

Characters & Entities

• Bandulā
• Smara (Kāma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked kāma (lust) destabilizes gṛhastha-dharma; abandoning one’s lawful spouse for sensual indulgence is portrayed as a moral fall that leads to further suffering and demerit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha or sthala-māhātmya is explicitly named in this verse; it functions as an ethical narrative detail within the Brahmottara-khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this shloka; it is descriptive (narrative) rather than prescriptive (vrata/dāna/snānajapa).