Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणान्भोजयेत्तत्र श्राद्धं कुर्याज्जितेन्द्रियः । शक्त्या हिरण्यं वासांसि विप्रे दद्यात्समाहितः । स याति परमं स्थानं नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānbhojayettatra śrāddhaṃ kuryājjitendriyaḥ | śaktyā hiraṇyaṃ vāsāṃsi vipre dadyātsamāhitaḥ | sa yāti paramaṃ sthānaṃ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

„Dort soll man, die Sinne bezwungen, Brahmanen speisen und Śrāddha vollziehen. Nach eigener Kraft, mit gesammeltem Geist, soll man einem Brahmanen Gold und Gewänder schenken. Ein solcher gelangt zur höchsten Stätte — daran ist nicht zu zweifeln.“

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• bhojayet: should feed
• bhojayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु) causative: bhojaya (णिजन्त)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद, णिजन्त — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada, Causative

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण — Indeclinable, locative adverb

• śrāddham: Śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• kuryāt: should perform
• kuryāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• jita-indriyaḥ: one who has conquered the senses
• jita-indriyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jita (कृदन्त; √ji धातु, क्त) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारयवत् प्रयोगः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Tatpurusha compound; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• śaktyā: according to ability
• śaktyā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• hiraṇyam: gold
• hiraṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• vāsāṃsi: garments
• vāsāṃsi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• vipre: to a Brahmin
• vipre: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• samāhitaḥ: composed, attentive
• samāhitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-dhā (धातु) → samāhita (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past participle; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Pronoun; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• yāti: goes, attains
• yāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Present, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• sthānam: abode, place
• sthānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात — Indeclinable, negation particle

• atra: here, in this matter
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक — Indeclinable, locative adverb

• kāryā: to be done
• kāryā: Karta (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ धातु, यत्)
• Form: कृत्य (यत्-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Gerundive; Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• vicāraṇā: consideration, deliberation
• vicāraṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicāraṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkaranātha (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, calm and restrained, feeds Brāhmaṇas in a temple courtyard near the liṅga; a śrāddha rite is performed with offerings; gifts of gold and garments are respectfully presented; the liṅga shrine stands luminous behind, suggesting ‘parama-sthāna’.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Śrāddha
• Dāna
• Śaṅkaranātha (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-fruit is completed through dharmic conduct—self-restraint, ancestral rites, feeding the worthy, and charitable giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The merit is framed within the Śaṅkaranātha/Prabhāsakṣetra setting of Adhyāya 252.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding Brāhmaṇas), śrāddha, and dāna of gold and garments according to capacity.