Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

चौरः किलायं संप्राप्तः सर्वोद्वेगकरः परः । दंडप्रहाराभिहतो नीयते दंडपाशकैः

Transliteration

cauraḥ kilāyaṃ saṃprāptaḥ sarvodvegakaraḥ paraḥ | daṃḍaprahārābhihato nīyate daṃḍapāśakaiḥ

Translation

درحقیقت، یہ چور پکڑا گیا ہے جو سب کے لیے خوف کا باعث تھا۔ لاٹھیوں کی مار کھاتے ہوئے، اسے لاٹھیاں اور پھندے اٹھائے ہوئے افسران لے جا رہے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• चौरः: thief
• चौरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• किल: indeed, it is said
• किल: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अर्थे—खलु/इति प्रसिद्धौ (indeed/it is said)

• अयम्: this (man)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• संप्राप्तः: has arrived, has come
• संप्राप्तः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+प्र+आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past participle, -kta), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत्/विधेय (predicate)

• सर्वोद्वेगकरः: causing fear/alarm to all
• सर्वोद्वेगकरः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + उद्वेग + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वस्य उद्वेगं करोति)

• परः: very, extreme; other (here: exceedingly)
• परः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दण्डप्रहाराभिहतः: beaten with staff-blows
• दण्डप्रहाराभिहतः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दण्ड + प्रहार + अभि+हन् (धातु) → अभिहत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (दण्डप्रहारैः अभिहतः = struck by blows of a staff)

• नीयते: is being led
• नीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• दण्डपाशकैः: by the staff-bearing guards/constables
• दण्डपाशकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड + पाशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः (दण्डेन पाशकाः/दण्डयुक्ताः पाशकाः)

Speaker

Festival announcers/performers (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A thief, bruised from staff blows, is bound and led by officers holding staffs and nooses; the crowd watches with mixed relief and dread; sacred buildings loom nearby, underscoring protection of the holy place.

Characters & Entities

• caura (thief)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Theft disrupts communal peace; dharma requires restraint and lawful order, taught here through public deterrent display.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where even governance-ethics (rāja-dharma) are taught as part of sacred festival culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A staged procession of an apprehended thief being led by guards, as a moral lesson during the utsava.