Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अहंकारो यदृच्छा च चापल्यं लौल्यता नृप । अत्यायासोप्यनायासः प्रमादो द्रोहसाहसम्

Transliteration

ahaṃkāro yadṛcchā ca cāpalyaṃ laulyatā nṛpa | atyāyāsopyanāyāsaḥ pramādo drohasāhasam

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราช อหังการ ความเอาแต่ใจไร้จุดหมาย ความไม่มั่นคงและความกระหายไม่รู้จบ; ความตรากตรำเกินควรหรือความสบายแบบเกียจคร้าน ความประมาท การทรยศ และความห้าวหาญบ้าบิ่น—สิ่งเหล่านี้ล้วนทำลายหนทางแห่งธรรม

Word by Word

• अहंकारः: egoism, pride
• अहंकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहं + कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अहम्-कारः = ego-making)

• यदृच्छा: chance, randomness
• यदृच्छा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदृच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• चापल्यम्: fickleness, restlessness
• चापल्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चापल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लौल्यता: greediness, fickle craving
• लौल्यता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लौल्यता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• अति: excessively
• अति: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (prefix/adverbial intensifier)

• आयासः: effort, exertion
• आयासः: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• अत्यायासः: overexertion
• अत्यायासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अति + आयास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (अति-आयासः = excessive effort)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: also/even)

• अनायासः: lack of effort, ease
• अनायासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनायास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रमादः: negligence, heedlessness
• प्रमादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्रोह: treachery, malice
• द्रोह: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• साहसम्: rashness, audacity
• साहसम्: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साहस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• द्रोहसाहसम्: treachery and rashness
• द्रोहसाहसम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोह + साहस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (treachery and rashness)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced); addressing a king within the story

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King) explicitly addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens to a sage who enumerates inner enemies; behind them, symbolic figures show extremes: one person overburdened by loads (atyāyāsa), another asleep (anāyāsa), a proud figure with raised chin (ahaṃkāra), and a shadowy betrayer (droha), while a balanced pilgrim walks steadily toward a temple.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires balance and integrity; both negligence and extremes (overstrain or laziness) lead to spiritual downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; it continues the ethical instruction embedded in the māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction; it enumerates character-faults to be avoided for successful religious life.