Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

या दुस्त्यजा दुर्मतिभिर्या न जीर्यति जीर्यतः । योऽसौ प्राणांतिको रोगस्तां तृष्णां त्यजतः सुखम्

Transliteration

yā dustyajā durmatibhiryā na jīryati jīryataḥ | yo'sau prāṇāṃtiko rogastāṃ tṛṣṇāṃ tyajataḥ sukham

Translation

ตัณหานั้นซึ่งคนหลงผิดละได้ยาก และแม้กาลวัยจะร่วงโรยก็ไม่เสื่อมสลาย—ตัณหานั้นแลคือโรคคร่าชีวิต; ความสุขเป็นของผู้สละความอยากนั้นเสีย

Word by Word

• या: which (she/that)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• दुस्त्यजा: hard to give up
• दुस्त्यजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् (उपसर्ग) + √त्यज् (धातु) → त्याज्य (कृदन्त) / त्यज्-योग्य; प्रातिपदिक ‘दुस्त्यज’
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; साध्य/योग्यतावाचक (hard to abandon)

• दुर्मतिभिः: by the foolish
• दुर्मतिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचनम्

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• जीर्यति: decays/ages
• जीर्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• जीर्यतः: of one who is aging
• जीर्यतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √जॄ (धातु) → जीर्यत् (शतृ-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचनम्; वर्तमानकृदन्तः (शतृ) ‘जीर्यत्’ = of one who is decaying

• यः: which/that (he/it)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• असौ: that (yonder)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; दूरवाचक-सर्वनाम

• प्राण-अन्तिकः: life-ending / life-threatening
• प्राण-अन्तिकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्राणानाम् अन्तिकः) = life-threatening

• रोगः: disease
• रोगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्

• तृष्णाम्: craving
• तृष्णाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्

• त्यजतः: of one who gives up
• त्यजतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु) → त्यजत् (शतृ-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचनम्; वर्तमानकृदन्तः (शतृ) = of one who abandons

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Arundhatī (contextual continuation from the immediately preceding verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (implied by vocative style in nearby verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic or pilgrim stands at a sacred shore, turning away from glittering objects; a dark serpent-like ‘thirst’ coils near the heart and dissolves as the pilgrim releases it, revealing calm radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Arundhatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Craving is a destructive illness; abandoning it is the gateway to peace and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya discourse, framing pilgrimage as inner transformation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external ritual is stated; the prescription is inner renunciation—tyāga of tṛṣṇā.