Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अतीव निष्ठुरो दुष्टो देवब्राह्मणपीडकः । परदारहरो नित्यं परवित्तहरस्तथा

Transliteration

atīva niṣṭhuro duṣṭo devabrāhmaṇapīḍakaḥ | paradāraharo nityaṃ paravittaharastathā

Translation

他极其残酷邪恶——迫害诸天的信众与婆罗门；常常染指他人妻室，同样也盗取他人财物。

Word by Word

• atīva: exceedingly
• atīva: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तीव्रतावाचक क्रियाविशेषण (intensifier adverb)

• niṣṭhuraḥ: cruel
• niṣṭhuraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣṭhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; (राजा) इत्यस्य विशेषण

• duṣṭaḥ: wicked
• duṣṭaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; √duṣ-क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; (राजा) इत्यस्य विशेषण

• devabrāhmaṇapīḍakaḥ: oppressor of gods and Brahmins
• devabrāhmaṇapīḍakaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva-brāhmaṇa-pīḍaka (प्रातिपदिक; देव + ब्राह्मण + पीडक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; देवब्राह्मणयोः पीडकः (one who harms gods and Brahmins)

• paradāraharaḥ: abductor of others' wives
• paradāraharaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para-dāra-hara (प्रातिपदिक; पर + दार + हर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; (राजा) इत्यस्य विशेषण

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, नित्यत्ववाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: always)

• paravittaharaḥ: stealer of others' wealth
• paravittaharaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para-vitta-hara (प्रातिपदिक; पर + वित्त + हर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; (राजा) इत्यस्य विशेषण

• tathā: also; likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/रीतिवाचक (also; likewise)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Arbuda Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘nṛpa-sattama’ addressee

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like depiction of the king’s adharma: brāhmaṇas harassed, devotees driven away, a stolen treasury, and a violated household—shown as moral vignettes around the central figure of the king.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cruelty, exploitation of the righteous, sexual misconduct, and theft are grave adharma that ripen into severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative context is the Arbuda region (Arbudācala/Mount Abu) within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, leading into a tīrtha-māhātmya account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it establishes the sinful character whose fate will illustrate the tīrtha’s power.