Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अंगुल्या दंतकाष्ठं च प्रत्यक्षं लवणं च यत् । मृत्तिकाभक्षणं चैव तुल्यं गोमांसभक्षणैः

Transliteration

aṃgulyā daṃtakāṣṭhaṃ ca pratyakṣaṃ lavaṇaṃ ca yat | mṛttikābhakṣaṇaṃ caiva tulyaṃ gomāṃsabhakṣaṇaiḥ

Translation

استعمالُ الإصبع بدلَ التطهير اللائق، وسوءُ استعمالِ عودِ السِّواك، وتناولُ الملحِ علنًا، وكذلك أكلُ الطين—كلُّ ذلك مُعلَنٌ أنه في الإثمِ سواءٌ بأكلِ لحمِ البقر.

Word by Word

• अङ्गुल्या: with the finger
• अङ्गुल्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine, instrumental singular)

• दन्तकाष्ठम्: tooth-stick
• दन्तकाष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त + काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (neuter, accusative singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable conjunction: and)

• प्रत्यक्षम्: directly (in front)/manifest
• प्रत्यक्षम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, accusative singular: manifest/direct)

• लवणम्: salt
• लवणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun: which/that)

• मृत्तिकाभक्षणम्: eating clay
• मृत्तिकाभक्षणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्तिका + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘मृत्तिकायाः भक्षणम्’ (neuter sg: eating clay)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (indeclinable particle: indeed/just)

• तुल्यम्: equal
• तुल्यम्: Pradhana-visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (neuter sg: equal)

• गोमांसभक्षणैः: with (the sin of) eating beef
• गोमांसभक्षणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + मांस + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘गोमांसस्य भक्षणम्’ (instrumental plural: with/by acts of eating beef; comparison-instrument)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from dharma-śikṣā tone within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa is admonished by a learned brāhmaṇa: improper mouth/food habits are shown as dark stains, contrasted with a clean ritual setting near the sea-tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsakṣetra
• Dantakāṣṭha
• Gomāṃsa (cow-flesh)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma warns that careless or taboo conduct in daily life can carry grave moral-spiritual consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where strict purity norms are taught as part of living dharma in a sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition list: avoid improper cleansing practices and taboo consumptions (e.g., clay-eating), stated to incur severe demerit.