Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

कुलीनं सर्वशास्त्रज्ञं यथा देवं महेश्वरम् । अस्य धर्मस्य वक्तारं छत्रं दद्यात्प्रपूजयेत्

Transliteration

kulīnaṃ sarvaśāstrajñaṃ yathā devaṃ maheśvaram | asya dharmasya vaktāraṃ chatraṃ dadyātprapūjayet

Translation

Man soll—wie den Gott Maheśvara selbst—einen Lehrer von edler Herkunft ehren, der alle Śāstra kennt; und den Verkünder dieses Dharma soll man ehrfürchtig verehren und ihm als Gabe einen Sonnenschirm (Parasol) darreichen.

Word by Word

• kulīnam: noble-born
• kulīnam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kulīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• sarvaśāstrajñam: knower of all scriptures
• sarvaśāstrajñam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + śāstra + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वेषां शास्त्राणां ज्ञः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• yathā: as/like
• yathā: Sambandha (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/like)

• devam: a god
• devam: Upamana (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• maheśvaram: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaram: Upameya/Upamana-context
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘देवम्’ इति विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• asya: of this
• asya: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dharmasya: of the dharma/rite
• dharmasya: Shashthi-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vaktāram: the speaker/expounder
• vaktāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √vac (धातु) + tṛ (कृत्) → vaktṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• chatram: umbrella
• chatram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chatra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• prapūjayet: should honor/worship respectfully
• prapūjayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned, well-born ācārya sits on a vyāsāsana with a manuscript; devotees offer a white parasol and other honors, viewing him as Maheśvara’s representative; Somnātha/Prabhāsa temple motifs frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma becomes fruitful when the teacher who transmits it is honored as sacred, akin to Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To worship the dharma-speaker and give a chatra (parasol) as a respectful dāna.