Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 180

Devanagari script

स्वकर्मणा हतो विप्रैः परलोकमवाप्तवान् । कस्मिंस्थाने गतस्तातः श्वभ्रं वा स्वर्गमेव च

Transliteration

svakarmaṇā hato vipraiḥ paralokamavāptavān | kasmiṃsthāne gatastātaḥ śvabhraṃ vā svargameva ca

Translation

ด้วยแรงกรรมของตนเอง เขาถูกพราหมณ์สังหารและไปถึงปรโลกแล้ว บิดาของข้าพเจ้าไปสู่ภาวะใด—สู่หลุมอันน่าสะพรึง (นรก) หรือสู่สวรรค์แท้จริง?

Word by Word

• स्वकर्मणा: by his own deed
• स्वकर्मणा: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी): स्वस्य कर्म → स्वकर्म

• हतः: slain
• हतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) + क्त → हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (slain)

• विप्रैः: by Brahmins
• विप्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• परलोकम्: the other world; afterlife
• परलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः: परः लोकः → परलोकः

• अवाप्तवान्: attained; reached
• अवाप्तवान्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव+आप् (धातु) + क्तवतुँ → अवाप्तवत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; क्तवतुँ-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकाले कर्तरि (has attained)

• कस्मिन्: in which?
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• स्थाने: place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• गतः: gone
• गतः: Kriya (Predicate—participial/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त → गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (gone)

• तातः: father
• तातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• श्वभ्रम्: a pit; abyss
• श्वभ्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वभ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Vainya (Pṛthu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, distressed, asks whether his father has fallen into a ‘śvabhra’ (dread pit/hell) or attained heaven; Nārada listens, poised to answer.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (vipra)
• Karma
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching emphasizes that one’s own karma determines one’s fate; even worldly death is framed through moral causality.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The broader text is Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, but this verse is primarily about karmic destiny.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription is given here; it is a direct question about the soul’s post-mortem state.