Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

आदेशं पठते यस्तु आदेशं तु ददाति यः । द्वावेतौ पापकर्माणौ पातालतलवासिनौ

Transliteration

ādeśaṃ paṭhate yastu ādeśaṃ tu dadāti yaḥ | dvāvetau pāpakarmāṇau pātālatalavāsinau

Translation

جو کوئی ‘آدیش’ پڑھتا ہے اور جو کوئی ‘آدیش’ دیتا ہے—یہ دونوں گناہ کے کام کرنے والے ہیں، اور پاتال کے جہانوں میں رہنے کے مقدر والے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• ādeśam: (a) command / instruction
• ādeśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• paṭhate: recites / reads
• paṭhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

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

• ādeśam: (a) command
• ādeśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक

• dadāti: gives
• dadāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• dvau: two
• dvau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• etau: these
• etau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• pāpa-karmāṇau: evil-doers / of sinful acts
• pāpa-karmāṇau: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; कर्मधारयः (पापं कर्म यस्य/ययोः)

• pātāla-tala-vāsinau: dwelling in the netherworld (Pātāla)
• pātāla-tala-vāsinau: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (पातालतले वासी)

Speaker

Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa’s sacred precinct, a stern admonition is proclaimed: those who recite or issue a dubious ‘ādeśa’ for worldly ends are shown falling toward shadowy subterranean realms, contrasting with the luminous tīrtha atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain speech-acts and transmissions are condemned as adharma; discipline in ritual speech protects spiritual integrity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This prohibition appears within the Prabhāsa Kṣetra māhātmya’s broader tīrtha-dharma instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition: do not recite or confer the condemned ‘ādeśa’; it is said to lead to severe karmic consequence.