Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

सोमविक्रयणे विष्ठा भेषजे पूयशोणितम् । नष्टं देवलके दानं ह्यप्रतिष्ठं च वार्धुके

Transliteration

somavikrayaṇe viṣṭhā bheṣaje pūyaśoṇitam | naṣṭaṃ devalake dānaṃ hyapratiṣṭhaṃ ca vārdhuke

Translation

في بيع السُّوما إثمٌ كالقذر؛ وفي الاتّجار بالدواء كأنه قيحٌ ودم. والصدقةُ إذا أُعطيت لِـ«دِيفالاكا» ضاعت؛ وإذا أُعطيت لِمُرابٍ (واردهوكا) صارت بلا ثمرة ولا مكانة.

Word by Word

• सोमविक्रयणे: in the selling of Soma
• सोमविक्रयणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम + विक्रयण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘सोमस्य विक्रयणम्’)

• विष्ठा: feces
• विष्ठा: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भेषजे: in medicine
• भेषजे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भेषज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पूयशोणितम्: pus and blood
• पूयशोणितम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूय + शोणित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (pus and blood)

• नष्टम्: lost, ruined
• नष्टम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्ट (कृदन्त; नश् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त/क्त (past passive participle)

• देवलके: in/with a devalaka (temple-priest for hire)
• देवलके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दानम्: gift, donation
• दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/कारणबोधक-अव्यय (indeed/for)

• अप्रतिष्ठम्: without merit/ineffective
• अप्रतिष्ठम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्रतिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-समास (without standing/fruit)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• वार्धुके: in/with a usurer (money-lender)
• वार्धुके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral allegory: on one side, a merchant weighing Soma with a scale, depicted with symbolic impurity; on another, a physician’s shop with red-stained cloth; below, a pilgrim offering gifts that dissolve into dust when handed to a devalaka and a moneylender counting coins.

Characters & Entities

• Soma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma judges both livelihood and the recipient of charity; wrong trades and unworthy recipients can nullify merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the māhātmya includes sharp ethical instruction about dāna and conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Choose dāna-pātras carefully: gifts to a devalaka are said to be wasted, and gifts to a usurer are called apratiṣṭha (without spiritual establishment).