Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

एकं संभोज्य विधिवद्ब्राह्मणं यत्फलं लभेत् । प्राणायामैर्द्वादशभिस्तत्फलं श्रद्धयाप्यते

Transliteration

ekaṃ saṃbhojya vidhivadbrāhmaṇaṃ yatphalaṃ labhet | prāṇāyāmairdvādaśabhistatphalaṃ śraddhayāpyate

Translation

Le mérite que l’on acquiert en nourrissant selon le rite un seul brāhmaṇa, ce même fruit s’obtient—lorsqu’on le fait avec foi—par douze prāṇāyāmas.

Word by Word

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• saṃbhojya: having fed
• saṃbhojya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-bhuj (धातु) + य (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; धातु: सम्+भुज्; ‘संभोज्य’ = having fed/entertained

• vidhivat: properly/according to injunction
• vidhivat: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhivat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: according to rule)

• brāhmaṇam: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yat-phalam: whatever fruit/result
• yat-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (यत् फलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• labhet: one would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• prāṇāyāmaiḥ: by prāṇāyāmas (breath-controls)
• prāṇāyāmaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa + āyāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्राणस्य आयामः); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण

• dvādaśabhiḥ: with twelve (of them)
• dvādaśabhiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• tat-phalam: that fruit/result
• tat-phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तत् फलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śraddhayā: with faith
• śraddhayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण

• āpyate: is obtained/attained
• āpyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī nitya-sādhana (prāṇāyāma as dharma-sādhana)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A practitioner sits in padmāsana on a ghāṭa platform, eyes half-closed, counting breaths with fingers or mālā; in the background, a brāhmaṇa is respectfully offered food—shown as a symbolic equivalence.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner discipline (prāṇāyāma) can equal outward charity in merit when performed with śraddhā and proper intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement occurs within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma teaching, without naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform twelve prāṇāyāmas with faith; it is compared in fruit to feeding one brāhmaṇa according to rule.