Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

युवा जातः क्रमेणैव हिंस्रः क्रूरो बभूव ह । न वेदशास्त्रकुशलो दयाधर्मविवर्जितः

Transliteration

yuvā jātaḥ krameṇaiva hiṃsraḥ krūro babhūva ha | na vedaśāstrakuśalo dayādharmavivarjitaḥ

Translation

ครั้นเขาเติบใหญ่ขึ้นโดยลำดับ ก็กลับกลายเป็นผู้โหดร้ายและทารุณ มิได้ชำนาญในพระเวทและศาสตรา และปราศจากเมตตากรุณาและธรรมะ

Word by Word

• युवा: a youth
• युवा: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जातः: having become
• जातः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात (कृदन्त; √जन् (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle)

• क्रमेण: gradually, in due course
• क्रमेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• हिंस्रः: violent
• हिंस्रः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिंस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्रूरः: cruel
• क्रूरः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• ह: indeed/then
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; narrative/emphasis)

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

• वेद-शास्त्र-कुशलः: skilled in Veda and śāstra
• वेद-शास्त्र-कुशलः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + कुशल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• दयाधर्म-विवर्जितः: devoid of compassion and dharma
• दयाधर्म-विवर्जितः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दयाधर्म (प्रातिपदिक-द्वन्द्व) + विवर्जित (कृदन्त; √वृज्/√वर्ज् (धातु) उपसर्ग: वि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle)

Speaker

Mṛgyu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard frame) / or interlocutor within the mahatmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young prince maturing into a harsh ruler: darkened court atmosphere, broken palm-leaf manuscripts ignored, frightened subjects withdrawing; the king’s posture rigid, eyes sharp, hands clenched—symbolizing hiṃsā and śāstra-vimukhatā.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Śāstra
• dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power without scriptural wisdom and compassion devolves into cruelty and becomes a cause of downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger passage is situated in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.