Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

तवास्मिवादी दुष्टात्मा हतो लोकविरोधकः । देहं तस्य गृहीत्वाग्नौ प्रविष्टाहं नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

tavāsmivādī duṣṭātmā hato lokavirodhakaḥ | dehaṃ tasya gṛhītvāgnau praviṣṭāhaṃ nṛpottama

Translation

วิญญาณชั่วร้ายนั้น ผู้พร่ำบอกเสมอว่า 'ข้าเป็นของเจ้า' ได้ถูกสังหารในฐานะศัตรูของปวงชน ข้าพระองค์นำร่างของเขาเข้าสู่กองไฟ ข้าแต่ราชาผู้ประเสริฐ

Word by Word

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (Genitive); एकवचन

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वादी: one who says/claims
• वादी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वद् (धातु) → वादिन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (agent noun); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; ‘speaker/one who says’

• दुष्टात्मा: wicked-souled person
• दुष्टात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्ट + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (दुष्टः आत्मा यस्य/दुष्ट आत्मा)

• हतः: killed
• हतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण (दुष्टात्मा)

• लोकविरोधकः: opponent of the world/people
• लोकविरोधकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक + विरोधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य विरोधकः)

• देहम्: body
• देहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• गृहीत्वा: having taken
• गृहीत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; ‘having taken’

• अग्नौ: in the fire
• अग्नौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• प्रविष्टा: entered
• प्रविष्टा: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु) → प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; उपसर्गः प्र-; ‘entered’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नृपाणाम् उत्तमः)

Speaker

Mṛgyu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpottama (the king addressed within the story)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A queen (or devoted wife) addresses a king, recounting how a wicked, people-oppressing man was slain; she then lifts his body and steps into a blazing funeral pyre, the court and priests watching in stunned silence.

Characters & Entities

• fire (agni)
• people (loka)
• king (nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma culminates in social hostility and destruction; extreme ends are portrayed as the bitter fruit of cruelty and irreverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa; this verse narrates the climax of the cautionary tale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescriptive ritual is given here; it describes an act of entering fire (agnipraveśa) as part of the narrative.