Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

हे जनाः किं न पश्यध्वं स्वामिद्रोहकरं परम् । करपत्रैर्विदार्यंतमुच्छलच्छोणितान्तरम्

Transliteration

he janāḥ kiṃ na paśyadhvaṃ svāmidrohakaraṃ param | karapatrairvidāryaṃtamucchalacchoṇitāntaram

Translation

اے لوگو، کیا تم اپنے آقا سے غداری کرنے والے اس بدترین شخص کو نہیں دیکھتے؟ اسے آریوں سے چیرا جا رہا ہے اور اس کے اندر سے خون کے فوارے پھوٹ رہے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• he: O
• he: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: he (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — nominative plural used in address

• kim: why/what
• kim: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — interrogative used adverbially (‘why?’)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• paśyadhvam: do you not see? / see!
• paśyadhvam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/लोट्), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), बहुवचन — ‘see (you all)!’

• svāmidrohakaram: (one) causing treachery against one’s master
• svāmidrohakaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svāmin (प्रातिपदिक) + droha (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — accusative singular; समासः तत्पुरुष (स्वामिनि drohaḥ; taṃ karoti iti)

• param: supreme/great
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — accusative singular (qualifying previous)

• karapatraiḥ: with saw-like blades
• karapatraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — instrumental plural; समासः तत्पुरुष (करस्य पत्रम् = hand-leaf; ‘saw-like blades/hand-knives’)

• vidāryamāṇam: being ripped apart
• vidāryamāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-dṛ (धातु) + ya-māna (यमान/शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि शानच्/यमान-प्रत्ययान्त (present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘being torn apart’

• ucchalat: gushing/surging
• ucchalat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√chal (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन — used as first member in compound

• śoṇita: blood
• śoṇita: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoṇita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (in compound)

• antaram: interior/inside
• antaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — accusative singular; समासः तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ucchalat-śoṇita-antaram = ‘whose interior is (filled with) gushing blood’

Speaker

Festival announcers/performers (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A herald-like figure addresses a crowd: the traitor is being ripped by sharp hand-blades (karapatra imagery), entrails and blood depicted in stylized, non-gory symbolic streams; the crowd recoils in horror near a sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• svāmidroha (treachery)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Betrayal of one’s rightful lord/guardian is severe adharma; the text uses graphic deterrence to uphold fidelity and social order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, whose festival culture is presented as a vehicle for dharmic education.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dramatic public warning (prekṣaṇīya) depicting the consequence of svāmi-droha during the utsava.