Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

चण्डालादुदकात्सर्पाद्ब्राह्मणाद्वैद्युतादपि । दंष्ट्रिभ्यश्च पशुभ्यश्च मरणं पापकर्मणाम्

Transliteration

caṇḍālādudakātsarpādbrāhmaṇādvaidyutādapi | daṃṣṭribhyaśca paśubhyaśca maraṇaṃ pāpakarmaṇām

Translation

Cái chết do caṇḍāla, do nước, do rắn, do một brāhmaṇa, thậm chí do sét, và do loài có răng cắn cùng thú dữ—được nói là phần số của kẻ tạo nghiệp tội lỗi.

Word by Word

• caṇḍālāt: from a caṇḍāla
• caṇḍālāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṇḍāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (source)

• udakāt: from water
• udakāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• sarpāt: from a snake
• sarpāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• brāhmaṇāt: from a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• vaidyutāt: from lightning
• vaidyutāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaidyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• daṃṣṭribhyaḥ: from fanged creatures
• daṃṣṭribhyaḥ: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṃṣṭrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, बहुवचन

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

• paśubhyaḥ: from animals
• paśubhyaḥ: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, बहुवचन

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

• maraṇam: death
• maraṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pāpa-karmaṇām: of evil-doers / of those with sinful deeds
• pāpa-karmaṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः — ‘पापं कर्म’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a sinful man threatened by multiple causes of death—serpent, lightning, wild beasts—set against the distant sanctity of Prabhāsa’s shore-temples, implying dharma as refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Caṇḍāla
• Brāhmaṇa
• Sarpa
• Vidyut (lightning)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions bear fruit; grievous misdeeds are portrayed as leading to harsh and inauspicious ends.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is embedded in Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya but focuses on karmic instruction rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; it supports the surrounding śrāddha/eligibility discussion by framing karmic outcomes.