Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन भवेन्मोक्षस्य भाजनम् । न चैतत्पिशुने देयं नास्तिके दंभसंयुते

Transliteration

bahunātra kimuktena bhavenmokṣasya bhājanam | na caitatpiśune deyaṃ nāstike daṃbhasaṃyute

Translation

Was braucht es hier noch vieler Worte? Ein solcher wird zum Gefäß der Befreiung (mokṣa). Doch diese Lehre soll weder dem Verleumder gegeben werden noch dem Ungläubigen, der mit Heuchelei verbunden ist.

Word by Word

• बहुना: with much (talk)
• बहुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘बहुना’ = ‘with much (speech)’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adverbial (देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• उक्तेन: by what has been said
• उक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; वच् धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• भवेत्: would be/should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मोक्षस्य: of liberation
• मोक्षस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• भाजनम्: a receptacle/fit recipient
• भाजनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• च: and
• च: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• एतत्: this (teaching/gift)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘इदं शास्त्रम्/दानम्’ इत्यर्थे

• पिशुने: to a slanderer
• पिशुने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• देयम्: should be given
• देयम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; दा धातोः यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्तव्यार्थक (gerundive)

• नास्तिके: in/for an atheist
• नास्तिके: Adhikarana/Condition (अधिकरण/शर्त)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण) एकवचन; ‘नास्तिके (सति)’ इति सति-सप्तमीभावः (locative absolute sense)

• दंभसंयुते: endowed with hypocrisy
• दंभसंयुते: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दंभ + संयुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; युज् धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (‘दंभेन संयुतः’); ‘नास्तिके’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: a teacher-figure concludes a discourse on śrāddha/dāna at Prabhāsa, warning that the liberating teaching is not to be given to slanderers or hypocritical atheists; the sea-coast tīrtha ambience is implied.

Characters & Entities

• mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge grants mokṣa-eligibility, but it must be protected and entrusted only to worthy recipients.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The counsel is embedded in Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, reinforcing the kṣetra’s dharma standards.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restriction (niyama): do not transmit this teaching to a piśuna (malicious person) or a nāstika with hypocrisy.