Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

पशुमुख उवाच । परस्य प्रेष्यतां यातु सदा जन्मनिजन्मनि । सर्वधर्म क्रियाहीनो बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः

Transliteration

paśumukha uvāca | parasya preṣyatāṃ yātu sadā janmanijanmani | sarvadharma kriyāhīno bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ

Translation

帕舒穆卡说道：“凡犯 bisastainya（盗取莲茎）者，生生世世为他人之仆役，并失却一切法（dharma）的修持与宗教义务。”

Word by Word

• पशुमुखः: Paśumukha (name)
• पशुमुखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पशोः मुखम् इव मुखं यस्य/पशुमुखः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परस्य: of another
• परस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रेष्यताम्: servitude, being a servant
• प्रेष्यताम्: Gati/Phala (Result state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भावे/अवस्थायाम् (state of being a servant)

• यातु: let (him) go/attain
• यातु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• जन्मनि: in (a) birth
• जन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• जन्मनि: in (every) birth
• जन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (iterative)

• सर्वधर्मः: one who is all-dharma / (intended) all dharma
• सर्वधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वः धर्मः)

• क्रियाहीनः: devoid of (religious) acts
• क्रियाहीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रिया + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (क्रियया हीनः = devoid of rites/actions)

• बिसस्तैन्यम्: theft of lotus-stalks
• बिसस्तैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिस + स्तैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• करोति: does/commits
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

Speaker

Paśumukha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Paśumukha declares the karmic result: a figure shown in successive life-frames serving others, carrying burdens, while ritual fires and prayer implements lie unused—symbolizing ‘sarva-dharma-kriyā-hīna’.

Characters & Entities

• Paśumukha
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text links theft with long-term loss of autonomy and spiritual discipline across repeated births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra remains the overarching sacred context; this verse is a general karmic warning.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it notes deprivation of dharma-practice as a consequence.