Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

दूतान्संभर्त्सयामास यमो धर्मभृतां वरः । पाशैर्बद्धं चंद्रसेनं मुक्त्वा प्रोवाच धर्मराट्

Transliteration

dūtānsaṃbhartsayāmāsa yamo dharmabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | pāśairbaddhaṃ caṃdrasenaṃ muktvā provāca dharmarāṭ

Translation

พระยม ผู้ทรงเป็นยอดแห่งผู้ทรงธรรมนั้น ได้ทรงตำหนิทูตของพระองค์ แล้วทรงปลดจันทรเสนจากบ่วงบาศ ก่อนที่พระธรรมราชาจะตรัส

Word by Word

• दूतान्: messengers
• दूतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• संभर्त्सयामास: rebuked, scolded
• संभर्त्सयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+भर्त्स् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, singular, active

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मभृताम्: of the upholders of dharma
• धर्मभृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म+भृत् (प्रातिपदिक; भृत् = धारणकर्ता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Viśeṣya (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पाशैः: with nooses
• पाशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बद्धम्: bound
• बद्धम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बन्ध् (धातु) → बद्ध (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त/PPP)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past passive participle, Neuter, Accusative, Singular (agreeing with चन्द्रसेनम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• चन्द्रसेनम्: Chandrasena
• चन्द्रसेनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रसेन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मुक्त्वा: having freed
• मुक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — having released

• प्रोवाच: said, spoke
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, singular, active

• धर्मराट्: the king of dharma (Yama)
• धर्मराट्: Karta (Apposition to subject/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म+राज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, radiant and stern yet compassionate, halts his dark messengers; Candrasena is shown bound by luminous noose-bonds being released, with a distant Himalayan shrine aura suggesting Kedāra’s sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yama-dūtas
• Candrasena

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma itself honors devotion; even Yama, the judge, yields when higher divine allegiance is recognized.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is part of the Kedāra māhātmya narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse depicts divine/legal intervention (release from pāśa).