Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 187

Devanagari script

धारयंति न ये मालां हैतुकाः पापमोहिताः । नरकान्न निवर्तंते दग्धाः कोपाग्निना हरेः

Transliteration

dhārayaṃti na ye mālāṃ haitukāḥ pāpamohitāḥ | narakānna nivartaṃte dagdhāḥ kopāgninā hareḥ

Translation

凡不佩花鬘（mālā），以辩词强解、为罪所迷者，终不复自地狱返还；皆为哈利（Hari）忿怒之火所灼烧。

Word by Word

• धारयन्ति: wear, hold
• धारयन्ति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Present indicative, 3rd pl.)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• मालाम्: garland
• मालाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative singular)

• हैतुकाः: motivated (self-interested)
• हैतुकाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ये)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हैतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (acting with motives/for reasons)

• पापमोहिताः: deluded by sin
• पापमोहिताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ये)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + मोहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (pāpa-mohita = ‘deluded by sin’)

• नरकात्: from hell
• नरकात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-बहुवचन? (न) पञ्चमी-एकवचन would be नरकात्; but context with ‘नरकान्न’ indicates plural accusative + ablative sandhi; resolve as नरकान् + न

• नरकान्: hells
• नरकान्: Karma/Adhikaraṇa (Object/Domain with nivartante: ‘do not turn back from hells’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural) — in sandhi ‘नरकान्न’ (narakān + na)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: निषेध-निपात; sandhi in ‘नरकान्न’

• निवर्तन्ते: return, turn back
• निवर्तन्ते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद (Present indicative, 3rd pl.)

• दग्धाः: burnt
• दग्धाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ye)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दह् (धातु) + क्त → दग्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्त (PPP: ‘burnt’)

• कोपाग्निना: by the fire of wrath
• कोपाग्निना: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोप + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (kopāgni = ‘fire of wrath’)

• हरेः: of Hari
• हरेः: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Genitive singular)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (within Dvārakā Māhātmya narration; attributed to the chapter’s narrator voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Contextual addressee)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: a devotee calmly wearing a tulasī-mālā near a Kṛṣṇa shrine, while a skeptical figure argues with raised hand; in the background, a dark, smoky vision of naraka flames suggests the consequence of obstinate sin-delusion.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse warns that prideful rejection of simple devotional dharma can harden one toward severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā remains the contextual sacred geography of the discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is to wear the (tulasī) mālā rather than dismissing devotional observances.