Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणानां समादेशात्तथा यात्रापरोऽभवत् । कृत्वौर्द्ध्वदैहिकं तस्या लघुमात्र परिग्रहः । वाराणस्यां गतः पूर्वं तत्र दानं ददौ बहु

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānāṃ samādeśāttathā yātrāparo'bhavat | kṛtvaurddhvadaihikaṃ tasyā laghumātra parigrahaḥ | vārāṇasyāṃ gataḥ pūrvaṃ tatra dānaṃ dadau bahu

Translation

Auf Geheiß der Brāhmaṇen wurde er der Pilgerfahrt ergeben. Nachdem er für sie die Totenriten vollzogen hatte und nur das Nötigste mitnahm, ging er zuerst nach Vārāṇasī und spendete dort reichlich Almosen.

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇānām: of the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• samādeśāt: from the instruction/command
• samādeśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samādeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• tathā: thus, accordingly
• tathā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• yātrā-paraḥ: devoted to pilgrimage
• yātrā-paraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक) + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — यात्रायां परः (यात्रानिष्ठः)

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू) (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having done’

• ūrddhva-daīhikam: post-funeral rite (after-death ceremony)
• ūrddhva-daīhikam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrddhva (प्रातिपदिक) + daihika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (कर्मधारय) — ऊर्ध्वं (मरणोत्तरं) दैहिकं कर्म

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• laghu-mātraḥ: of minimal amount
• laghu-mātraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: laghu (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — लघु-परिमाणः; विशेषणम् (परिग्रहः)

• parigrahaḥ: possessions, belongings
• parigrahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vārāṇasyām: in Varanasi
• vārāṇasyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• gataḥ: gone, having gone
• gataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pūrvam: formerly, first
• pūrvam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• dānam: gift, charity
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dadau: gave
• dadau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा) (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bahu: much, abundantly
• bahu: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (quantifier adverb)

Speaker

Deductive: Skanda (narrating within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Arbuda Khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After performing her ūrdhvadaihika rites, the king—carrying little—sets out on pilgrimage; the scene shifts to Kāśī where he offers abundant charity to brāhmaṇas and the needy near ghats and temples.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atonement is pursued through dharmic counsel, proper rites for the departed, simplicity of life, pilgrimage, and generous charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), presented as an early and powerful station for dāna and purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing funerary rites (aurddhvadaihika/antyeṣṭi-related acts) and giving abundant dāna, undertaken as part of pilgrimage-based expiation.