Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

कुसीदं कृषिवाणिज्यं प्रकुर्वीत स्वयं कृतम् । आपत्काले स्वयं कुर्वन्स्नानेन स्पृश्यते द्विजः

Transliteration

kusīdaṃ kṛṣivāṇijyaṃ prakurvīta svayaṃ kṛtam | āpatkāle svayaṃ kurvansnānena spṛśyate dvijaḥ

Translation

He may undertake lending at interest, agriculture, and commerce—done by his own effort. In times of distress, when a twice-born does such work himself, he becomes purified again by bathing.

Word by Word

• कुसीदम्: usury; money-lending at interest
• कुसीदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुसीद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• कृषि-वाणिज्यम्: agriculture and trade
• कृषि-वाणिज्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृषि (प्रातिपदिक) + वाणिज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमास (कृषिः च वाणिज्यम् च)

• प्रकुर्वीत: should undertake/do
• प्रकुर्वीत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• स्वयम्: personally; oneself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• कृतम्: done; performed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कुसीदं/कृषिवाणिज्यं प्रति)

• आपत्-काले: in time of calamity
• आपत्-काले: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपत् (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (आपदः कालः)

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• कुर्वन्: doing; performing
• कुर्वन्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + शतृ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (द्विजः)

• स्नानेन: by bathing
• स्नानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• स्पृश्यते: is purified/touched (i.e., becomes pure)
• स्पृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• द्विजः: a Brahmin; twice-born
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (snāna-tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A distressed dvija returns from marketplace fields and, at Prabhāsa ghāṭa, performs a purificatory bath; he holds a water-pot, recites a mantra, and the sea/tīrtha waters shimmer as cleansing light.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma provides emergency allowances, coupled with purification and restraint to preserve spiritual integrity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction sits within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya; the sacred setting highlights snāna as a purifier.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) is prescribed as purification when a dvija performs hardship-allowed occupations.