Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

चितिकाष्ठं तु वै स्पृष्ट्वा यज्ञयूपं तथैव च । वेदविक्रयिणं स्पृष्ट्वा स्नानमेव विधीयते

Transliteration

citikāṣṭhaṃ tu vai spṛṣṭvā yajñayūpaṃ tathaiva ca | vedavikrayiṇaṃ spṛṣṭvā snānameva vidhīyate

Translation

After touching the wood of a funeral pyre, and likewise a sacrificial post (yajña-yūpa), and after touching one who sells the Veda, bathing alone is prescribed.

Word by Word

• citi-kāṣṭham: funeral-pyre wood
• citi-kāṣṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citi (प्रातिपदिक) + kāṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चितेः काष्ठम्)

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• vai: certainly
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• spṛṣṭvā: having touched
• spṛṣṭvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘स्पृष्ट्वा’ = having touched

• yajña-yūpam: the sacrificial post
• yajña-yūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + yūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञस्य यूपः)

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारार्थक (thus/so)

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक (only/just)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• veda-vikrayiṇam: a seller of the Veda
• veda-vikrayiṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + vikrayin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वेदस्य विक्रयी)

• spṛṣṭvā: having touched
• spṛṣṭvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), having touched

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/विधेय), एकवचन

• eva: only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक

• vidhīyate: is prescribed
• vidhīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-dhā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three vignettes culminating in purification: (1) accidental touch of cremation pyre wood, (2) touch of a sacrificial post, (3) encounter with a Veda-seller; the devotee then bathes in tīrtha waters, emerging purified.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña-yūpa
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Maintain ritual purity and protect sacred knowledge from commodification; purification rites restore dharmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Given within Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s tīrtha framework, where snāna functions as a key purifier.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) is prescribed after touching pyre-wood, a yajña-post, or a person who sells the Veda.