Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणां यत्पापं जायते नृणाम् । तेन पापेन लिप्यामि यद्यहं नागमे पुनः

Transliteration

rājapaiśunyakartṝṇāṃ yatpāpaṃ jāyate nṛṇām | tena pāpena lipyāmi yadyahaṃ nāgame punaḥ

Translation

หากข้าพเจ้าไม่มาที่นี่อีก ขอให้ข้าพเจ้าถูกเปื้อนด้วยบาปที่เกิดแก่ผู้ใส่ร้ายและส่อเสียดในกิจการของพระราชา—ด้วยบาปนั้นเอง

Word by Word

• राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणाम्: of the doers of slander against the king
• राजपैशुन्यकर्तॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजपैशुन्य-कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; राज + पैशुन्य + कर्तृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (राजपैशुन्यस्य कर्तारः)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-विशेषण (relative pronoun)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जायते: arises/is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पापेन: by (that) sin
• पापेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• लिप्यामि: I become tainted / I am smeared
• लिप्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Clause linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपात (conditional particle)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• आगमे: I came / I would come
• आगमे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सन्धि-विच्छेदः: न + आगमे

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual vow/utterance within Arbuda Khaṇḍa narration; likely a pilgrim or narrator-voice within the māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim makes his vow near a tīrtha shrine while, in the background, courtiers whisper and point toward a king’s pavilion—symbolizing rāja-paiśunya. The pilgrim turns away, choosing silence and truth.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda (Mount Abu region)
• Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Malicious speech—especially political slander—is condemned; devotion to the tīrtha is framed as incompatible with such corruption.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda-kṣetra is upheld as a place inspiring vows of purity and faithful return.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual act is stated; it functions as a moral-ritual vow (saṅkalpa) tied to pilgrimage.