Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यो धर्ममाचरेदह्नि स रात्रौ मृत्युमेति च । न स्वाध्यायवषट्कारं समस्ते भूतले विभो

Transliteration

yo dharmamācaredahni sa rātrau mṛtyumeti ca | na svādhyāyavaṣaṭkāraṃ samaste bhūtale vibho

Translation

“ผู้ใดประพฤติธรรมะในเวลากลางวัน ผู้นั้นยามราตรีก็ถึงความตาย โอ้ วิภูผู้ทรงฤทธิ์! ทั่วทั้งพิภพไม่มีการสวาธยายะ (สาธยายพระเวท) และไม่มีเสียงวษัฏอีกแล้ว”

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• dharmam: dharma, righteous duty
• dharmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ācaret: should practice/perform
• ācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु) + आ- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ahni: in the daytime
• ahni: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (correlative)

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• mṛtyum: death
• mṛtyum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• eti: goes to, meets
• eti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• svādhyāya-vaṣaṭkāram: self-study and the vaṣaṭ-utterance (ritual exclamation)
• svādhyāya-vaṣaṭkāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svādhyāya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṣaṭkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative)

• samaste: in the whole/entire
• samaste: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• bhūtale: on the earth, on the ground
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देशाधिकरण

• vibho: O Lord, O mighty one
• vibho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Tāpasas and jñāna-śīlins addressing Brahmā (reported speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages describe a world where daytime dharma leads to nighttime death; the sound of Veda and vaṣaṭ is absent—shown as silent sacrificial halls and closed palm-leaf manuscripts.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Dharma
• Svādhyāya
• Vaṣaṭkāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma must be safeguarded institutionally and spiritually; when evil targets the righteous, collective protection and divine remedy are required.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The account is embedded in Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, a sacred geography narrative that culminates in dharma’s re-establishment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Svādhyāya (Vedic recitation) and vaṣaṭkāra (fire-offering chant) are cited as essential rites that have ceased.