Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

वाराणस्यां हि न त्यक्तश्चंडालस्य प्रतिग्रहः । स्नानहीनः सदा पापी रात्रौ चौर्य्येण वर्त्तते

Transliteration

vārāṇasyāṃ hi na tyaktaścaṃḍālasya pratigrahaḥ | snānahīnaḥ sadā pāpī rātrau cauryyeṇa varttate

Translation

Wahrlich, in Vārāṇasī gab er das Annehmen von Gaben eines Caṇḍāla nicht auf. Ohne heiliges Bad, stets sündig, lebte er nachts vom Diebstahl.

Word by Word

• वाराणस्याम्: in Varanasi
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• त्यक्तः: given up
• त्यक्तः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘abandoned/given up’

• चण्डालस्य: of a caṇḍāla
• चण्डालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• प्रतिग्रहः: acceptance (of gifts)
• प्रतिग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘acceptance (of gifts)’

• स्नानहीनः: without bathing
• स्नानहीनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नान + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘devoid of bathing’

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्ववाचक (always)

• पापी: a sinner
• पापी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गुणवाचक संज्ञा (sinful person)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (at night)

• चौर्य्येण: by theft
• चौर्य्येण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण (by theft)

• वर्त्तते: engages in/behaves
• वर्त्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; ‘exists/behaves/engages in’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) / Gaṅgā-ghaṭa snāna (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night in Vārāṇasī: ghats and river in the background; the man, unbathed, slips through alleys with stolen goods; a shadowy figure offers a ‘gift’ marked as impure; the Ganga glimmers as a silent witness.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Caṇḍāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life without self-restraint and purification (snāna) tends toward continued pāpa; dharma requires purity, right livelihood, and discernment in receiving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) is named, a foremost tīrtha in Purāṇic sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (holy bathing/purificatory bathing) is implied as a necessary discipline; absence of snāna is criticized.