Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

किं तु यत्तमसा कर्म कृतं तस्य प्रभावतः । धर्माय न रतिर्भूयात्ततस्तेषां विदांवर

Transliteration

kiṃ tu yattamasā karma kṛtaṃ tasya prabhāvataḥ | dharmāya na ratirbhūyāttatasteṣāṃ vidāṃvara

Translation

แต่เพราะกรรมเหล่านั้นกระทำภายใต้อำนาจแห่งตมัส ด้วยอิทธิพลนั้นใจของเขาย่อมไม่บังเกิดความยินดีในธรรมะอีก; ฉะนั้นแล โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่นักปราชญ์

Word by Word

• किम्: however/but
• किम्: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/प्रश्नार्थक-प्रयोगः), here in idiom 'किं तु' = 'but/however'

• तु: but, however
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धि-यद् (relative)

• तमसा: by darkness/ignorance
• तमसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• कर्म: action, deed
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'कर्म' विशेषणम्

• तस्य: of that (deed/person)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• प्रभावतः: due to the effect/power
• प्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त), हेतौ/कारणे

• धर्माय: for dharma/righteousness
• धर्माय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• रतिः: inclination, delight
• रतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भूयात्: may become/arise
• भूयात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ततः: therefore/from that
• ततः: Hetu/Apadana (From that/therefore)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद् + तस्)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्), अपादान/अनन्तरार्थे

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• विदाम्: of the wise/learned
• विदाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद् (प्रातिपदिक; 'विद्वस्' अर्थे)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (विदाम् = विदुषाम् वैदिक/काव्य-रूप)

• वर: O best
• वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Bāla

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: vidāṃ-vara (best among the wise) addressed within the discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage addresses an assembly of learned men, pointing to a shadowy figure bound by dark smoke (tamas) while a luminous path of dharma remains unchosen.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions done in tamas may still bear fruit, yet they can leave the mind without genuine attraction to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is mentioned; the teaching concerns guṇa-based spiritual psychology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it analyzes the inner effect of tamasic action on dharmic inclination.