Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणानां च शापेन सर्वभक्षो हुताशनः । समुद्रश्चाप्यपेयस्तु विफलश्च पुरंदरः

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānāṃ ca śāpena sarvabhakṣo hutāśanaḥ | samudraścāpyapeyastu viphalaśca puraṃdaraḥ

Translation

பிராமணர்களின் சாபத்தால் ஹுதாசனனாகிய அக்னியும் எல்லாவற்றையும் விழுங்குபவனாகிறான்; சமுத்திரமும் குடிக்க இயலாததாகிறது; புரந்தரன் (இந்திரன்) கூட வலியிழந்து முயற்சிகள் பயனற்றவையாகின்றன।

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇānām: of Brahmins
• brāhmaṇānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• śāpena: by the curse
• śāpena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• sarva-bhakṣaḥ: all-devouring
• sarva-bhakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे (determinative: 'all-devouring')

• hutāśanaḥ: fire (the consumer of oblations)
• hutāśanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (apposition to sarvabhakṣaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: huta (कृदन्त; √hu क्त) + aśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष (conventional compound: 'eater of offerings' = fire)

• samudraḥ: ocean
• samudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• api: also/even
• api: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपि (particle: 'also/even')

• apeyaḥ: undrinkable
• apeyaḥ: Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-peya (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); नञ्-समासार्थ (negated adjective: 'not drinkable')

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेष (adversative/emphatic particle)

• viphalaḥ: fruitless/ineffective
• viphalaḥ: Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• puraṃdaraḥ: Indra (fort-destroyer)
• puraṃdaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puraṃ-dara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष (one who breaks forts/cities; epithet of Indra)

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya; likely Sūta relating the teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king or powerful figure witnesses the cosmic effects of a brāhmaṇa curse: Agni flares as an indiscriminate devourer, the ocean turns dark and undrinkable, and Indra’s vajra-bearing might appears blunted—signaling dharma’s supremacy over power.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Agni (Hutāśana)
• Samudra (Ocean)
• Purandara (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual transgression can disturb cosmic balance; the text dramatizes the far-reaching potency of a Brāhmaṇa’s curse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse appears within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, underscoring the dharmic seriousness expected in the Prabhāsa pilgrimage landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the implied prescription is respectful conduct and avoidance of brahma-aparādha to preserve auspiciousness.