Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

कंडनीपेषणीचुल्लीमार्जनीभिश्च यत्कृतम् । पापं गृही क्षालयति ददद्भिक्षां दिनं प्रति

Transliteration

kaṃḍanīpeṣaṇīcullīmārjanībhiśca yatkṛtam | pāpaṃ gṛhī kṣālayati dadadbhikṣāṃ dinaṃ prati

Translation

Welche Sünde auch immer ein Hausvater durch Mahlen, Stampfen, den Kochherd und das Kehren auf sich lädt, er wäscht sie ab, indem er täglich Almosen gibt.

Word by Word

• कण्डनीपेषणीचुल्लीमार्जनीभिः: with the winnowing-basket, grinding-stone, hearth, and broom
• कण्डनीपेषणीचुल्लीमार्जनीभिः: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्डनी + पेषणी + चुल्ली + मार्जनी (प्रातिपदिक-समाहार)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समासः इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (कण्डनी च पेषणी च चुल्ली च मार्जनी च)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यत्: whatever (that)
• यत्: सम्बन्ध (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोग (relative pronoun)

• कृतम्: done; committed
• कृतम्: विशेषण (Predicate/Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गृही: a householder
• गृही: कर्ता (Subject/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गृहस्थवाचक

• क्षालयति: washes away; cleanses
• क्षालयति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षल् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ददत्: giving
• ददत्: कर्ता (Agent, participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present Active Participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• भिक्षाम्: alms
• भिक्षाम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दिनम्: day
• दिनम्: कालाधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अव्ययीभावार्थे)

• प्रति: per; each
• प्रति: सम्बन्ध (Per)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय; वितरण/आवृत्त्यर्थक (per)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as nara-indra in the section’s discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder in a pilgrim town gives daily alms at his doorway—offering a portion of cooked food and water—while domestic tools (grinding stone, mortar, hearth, broom) appear as symbols of routine karmic dust being washed away.

Characters & Entities

• Gṛhastha (householder)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Household life inevitably causes minor harm; daily almsgiving purifies that karma and keeps gṛhastha-dharma aligned with compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra, within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s māhātmya emphasizing daily dharmic conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhikṣā-dāna: giving alms every day as a practical, ongoing expiation for household-caused pāpa.