Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

विघ्नानि तत्र तिष्ठन्ति नित्यं पञ्चशतानि च । धर्मविध्वंसकर्तॄणि नरस्तत्र न गच्छति

Transliteration

vighnāni tatra tiṣṭhanti nityaṃ pañcaśatāni ca | dharmavidhvaṃsakartṝṇi narastatra na gacchati

Translation

ณ ที่นั้นมีอุปสรรคห้าร้อยประการตั้งอยู่เป็นนิตย์ เป็นผู้ทำลายธรรมะ; เพราะเหตุนั้นมนุษย์จึงไม่ไปยังสถานที่นั้น

Word by Word

• vighnāni: obstacles
• vighnāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vighna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• tiṣṭhanti: stand / remain
• tiṣṭhanti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• nityam: always
• nityam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: always)

• pañca-śatāni: five hundred
• pañca-śatāni: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca (संख्या) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः—‘पञ्चशतानि’ (five hundreds = five hundred)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• dharma-vidhvaṃsa-kartṝṇi: destroyers of dharma
• dharma-vidhvaṃsa-kartṝṇi: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhvaṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘धर्मस्य विध्वंसस्य कर्तॄणि’ (doers of destruction of dharma); vighnāni इति विशेषणम्

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (not)

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya-narration style within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shadowed landscape marked by unseen impediments—personified vighnas hovering like dark forms around a path; a pilgrim hesitates and turns away toward a brighter, dharmic route.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Places or conditions that actively undermine dharma become spiritually unsafe; a seeker should avoid dharma-destructive environments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya within Prabhāsa; this verse contrasts it with a place marked by dharma-destroying impediments.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; the verse gives a cautionary teaching about avoiding dharma-destroying regions.