Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यो धर्ममाचरेदह्नि स रात्रौ मृत्युमेति च । न स्वाध्यायवषट्कारं समस्ते भूतले विभो

Transliteration

yo dharmamācaredahni sa rātrau mṛtyumeti ca | na svādhyāyavaṣaṭkāraṃ samaste bhūtale vibho

Translation

“جو دن میں دھرم پر عمل کرتا ہے وہ رات کو موت کو پہنچتا ہے۔ اے وِبھُو! پوری زمین پر نہ سوادھیائے ہے نہ وِشٹکار (وَشَٹ) کی صدا۔”

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• dharmam: dharma, righteous duty
• dharmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ācaret: should practice/perform
• ācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु) + आ- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ahni: in the daytime
• ahni: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (correlative)

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• mṛtyum: death
• mṛtyum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• eti: goes to, meets
• eti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• svādhyāya-vaṣaṭkāram: self-study and the vaṣaṭ-utterance (ritual exclamation)
• svādhyāya-vaṣaṭkāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svādhyāya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṣaṭkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative)

• samaste: in the whole/entire
• samaste: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• bhūtale: on the earth, on the ground
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देशाधिकरण

• vibho: O Lord, O mighty one
• vibho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Tāpasas and jñāna-śīlins addressing Brahmā (reported speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages describe a world where daytime dharma leads to nighttime death; the sound of Veda and vaṣaṭ is absent—shown as silent sacrificial halls and closed palm-leaf manuscripts.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Dharma
• Svādhyāya
• Vaṣaṭkāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma must be safeguarded institutionally and spiritually; when evil targets the righteous, collective protection and divine remedy are required.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The account is embedded in Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, a sacred geography narrative that culminates in dharma’s re-establishment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Svādhyāya (Vedic recitation) and vaṣaṭkāra (fire-offering chant) are cited as essential rites that have ceased.