Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

न स दृष्टः पुरा याभिरंतःपुरनिवासिभिः । मद्यदोषात्ततस्तासां स्मृतिलोपात्तथा बहु

Transliteration

na sa dṛṣṭaḥ purā yābhiraṃtaḥpuranivāsibhiḥ | madyadoṣāttatastāsāṃ smṛtilopāttathā bahu

Translation

اندرونی محلوں میں رہنے والی اُن عورتوں نے اسے پہلے کبھی نہیں دیکھا تھا؛ اور شراب کے عیب کے سبب اُن کی یادداشت بہت زیادہ زائل ہو گئی۔

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject of passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Kriyā (Predicate in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (was seen)

• पुरा: before/formerly
• पुरा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पूर्वकाले (formerly/before)

• याभिः: by whom (by which women)
• याभिः: Karta (Agent in passive / by whom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अन्तःपुरनिवासिभिः: by the women residing in the inner apartments
• अन्तःपुरनिवासिभिः: Karta (Agent in passive / by the residents)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तःपुर + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (अन्तःपुरे निवासिनः = residents of the inner palace); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मद्यदोषात्: from the fault/effect of wine
• मद्यदोषात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्य + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (मद्यस्य दोषः = fault/effect of wine); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (thereupon/then)

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• स्मृतिलोपात्: from loss of memory
• स्मृतिलोपात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति + लोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (स्मृतेः लोपः = loss of memory); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), एवम्/तद्वत् (thus/likewise)

• बहु: greatly/much
• बहु: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial use of neuter accusative), अत्यर्थे (much/greatly)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inner apartments (antaḥpura) with women in disarray as intoxication causes forgetfulness; a moralizing tableau set against the aura of Prabhāsa’s sacred coast.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmba (implied)
• antaḥpura-nivāsibhiḥ (inner palace women)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intoxication (madya-doṣa) leads to smṛti-lopa—loss of discernment and memory—opening the door to improper reactions and adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the narrative’s moral consequences unfold against a sacred-geographical backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse functions as a dharmic caution regarding intoxication.