Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

यथा शृंगं रुरोः काये वर्द्धमाने हि वर्द्धते । अनंतपारा दुर्वारा तृष्णा दुःखप्रदा सदा । अधर्मबहुला चैव तस्मात्तां परिवर्जयेत्

Transliteration

yathā śṛṃgaṃ ruroḥ kāye varddhamāne hi varddhate | anaṃtapārā durvārā tṛṣṇā duḥkhapradā sadā | adharmabahulā caiva tasmāttāṃ parivarjayet

Translation

ดุจเขากวางที่เติบโตตามกายที่เติบโต ฉันใด ตัณหาก็เติบโตตามชีวิตฉันนั้น ตัณหาไร้ฝั่งไร้ขอบ เข้าห้ามยาก ให้ทุกข์เสมอ และมากด้วยอธรรม—เพราะฉะนั้นพึงละเสีย

Word by Word

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमानार्थ (as/just as)

• śṛṅgam: horn
• śṛṅgam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (here: कर्तृ-भावे प्रथमा)

• ruroḥ: of the ruru-deer
• ruroḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ruru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• kāye: in the body
• kāye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• varddhamāne: while (it) is growing
• varddhamāne: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √vṛdh (धातु: वृध्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; 'varddhamāne (kāye)' = while (it) is growing

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• varddhate: grows
• varddhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛdh (धातु: वृध्)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ananta-pārā: having endless far shore / endless
• ananta-pārā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ananta (प्रातिपदिक) + pāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (anantā pāraḥ yasyāḥ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• durvārā: hard to restrain
• durvārā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + vāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (durvāryā), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tṛṣṇā: craving
• tṛṣṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛṣṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• duḥkha-pradā: giver of sorrow
• duḥkha-pradā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + pradā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (duḥkhaṃ pradāti), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (always)

• adharma-bahulā: abounding in unrighteousness
• adharma-bahulā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adharma (प्रातिपदिक) + bahula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (adharme bahulā / adharmasya bahulā), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (and)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (indeed/only)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apadana (Reason/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: tad)
• Form: अव्यय-प्राय (ablatival form), पञ्चमी-अर्थे (therefore/from that)

• tām: that (craving)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• parivarjayet: one should avoid/shun
• parivarjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√vṛj (धातु: वर्ज्/वृज्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Bharadvāja (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deer with a growing horn symbolizes expanding craving; the horn becomes a spiraling, shoreless wave encircling a human figure. A sage cuts the spiral with a sword of viveka; Somnātha’s shrine stands steady behind.

Characters & Entities

• Bharadvāja
• Tṛṣṇā
• Adharma
• Saṃsāra
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Craving expands unchecked, breeds adharma, and produces suffering; liberation requires abandoning it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the Māhātmya teaches that the true fruit of sacred places is mastery over desire.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual act is specified; it prescribes inner restraint and renunciation of tṛṣṇā.