Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

अहिंसा गुरुशुश्रूषा स्वाध्यायः शौचसंयमः । सत्यमस्तेयमेतद्धि प्राजापत्यं व्रतं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

ahiṃsā guruśuśrūṣā svādhyāyaḥ śaucasaṃyamaḥ | satyamasteyametaddhi prājāpatyaṃ vrataṃ smṛtam

Translation

อหิงสา การปรนนิบัติครูด้วยศรัทธา สวาธยายะ ความสะอาดและสำรวม สัจจะและไม่ลักขโมย—นี้แลเป็นพรตประชาปัตยะที่คัมภีร์จดจำไว้

Word by Word

• ahiṃsā: non-violence
• ahiṃsā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-hiṃsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• guruśuśrūṣā: service to the teacher
• guruśuśrūṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru+śuśrūṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: guroḥ śuśrūṣā (गुरोः शुश्रूषा)

• svādhyāyaḥ: self-study (of scripture)
• svādhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svādhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः: sva+adhyāya (स्वस्य अध्ययनम्)

• śauca-saṃyamaḥ: purity and restraint
• śauca-saṃyamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca+saṃyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (इतरेतर): śaucaṃ ca saṃyamaś ca

• satyam: truthfulness
• satyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• asteyam: non-stealing
• asteyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-steya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/causal)

• prājāpatyam: (called) prājāpatya
• prājāpatyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prājāpatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• vratam: vow/observance
• vratam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• smṛtam: is said/considered
• smṛtam: Kriyā (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय (predicate)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-sage at Prabhāsa holds a palm-leaf text, offering respectful service to a seated guru; behind them a tīrtha landscape with a river/sea edge and a Śiva-liṅga shrine, symbolizing outer pilgrimage and inner vow.

Characters & Entities

• Prājāpatya Vrata
• Guru
• Svādhyāya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred vow is fundamentally ethical and disciplined: self-control, truth, non-violence, purity, and reverence for the guru form its core.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where such vows are taught as the correct way to live and gain the kṣetra’s spiritual fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The Prājāpatya-vrata is prescribed through its components: ahiṃsā, guruśuśrūṣā, svādhyāya, śauca-saṃyama, satya, and asteya.