Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

दृष्टो भवद्भिर्दुष्टः स परदारावमर्शकः । छित्त्वा हस्तौ च खड्गेन खरारूढस्तु गच्छति

Transliteration

dṛṣṭo bhavadbhirduṣṭaḥ sa paradārāvamarśakaḥ | chittvā hastau ca khaḍgena kharārūḍhastu gacchati

Translation

تم نے اس بدکار شخص کو دیکھا ہے جو پرائی عورت کی عزت لوٹنے والا ہے۔ تلوار سے ہاتھ کٹنے کے بعد، وہ گدھے پر سوار ہو کر جا رہا ہے۔

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭaḥ: seen
• dṛṣṭaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘seen’

• bhavadbhiḥ: by you (all)
• bhavadbhiḥ: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — instrumental plural

• duṣṭaḥ: wicked
• duṣṭaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular (qualifying ‘saḥ’)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular pronoun

• paradārāvamarśakaḥ: violator of others’ wives
• paradārāvamarśakaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक) + avamarśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular; समासः तत्पुरुष (परदाराṇām अवमर्शकः = one who violates others’ wives)

• chittvā: having cut off
• chittvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: chid (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having cut off’

• hastau: (his) two hands
• hastau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन — accusative dual

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

• khaḍgena: with a sword
• khaḍgena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaḍga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• kharārūḍhaḥ: mounted on a donkey
• kharārūḍhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khara (प्रातिपदिक) + ārūḍha (प्रातिपदिक; √ruh + kta)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular; समासः तत्पुरुष (खरे आरूढः)

• tu: indeed/then
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘goes’

Speaker

Festival announcers/performers (deduced; continuing didactic spectacle)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A public road near a sacred precinct: a condemned adulterer with severed hands, mounted on a donkey, being driven away as onlookers recoil; the contrast between sacred landscape and human disgrace is emphasized.

Characters & Entities

• paradārāvamarśaka (adulterer/violator)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violation of marital boundaries is a grave adharma; the text uses public spectacle to deter such conduct and uphold social dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where dharma is reinforced through festival pedagogy and public moral instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A staged depiction of the disgrace/punishment of a paradāra-offender as part of the festival’s didactic program.