Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

पर्वण्यदत्तदाना ये कृततीर्थप्रतिग्रहाः । त इमां योनिमृच्छंति महादुःख निबंधनीम्

Transliteration

parvaṇyadattadānā ye kṛtatīrthapratigrahāḥ | ta imāṃ yonimṛcchaṃti mahāduḥkha nibaṃdhanīm

Translation

Ceux qui reçoivent des offrandes de pèlerinage tout en négligeant l’aumône aux jours sacrés de fête tombent dans cette condition même de matrice, lien qui engendre une grande souffrance.

Word by Word

• parvaṇi: on a sacred day
• parvaṇi: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘on a festival/holy day’

• adatta-dānāḥ: those who have not given gifts
• adatta-dānāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + datta (कृदन्त) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि (येषां दानं न दत्तम्); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; qualifying ‘ye’

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; relative pronoun

• kṛta-tīrtha-pratigrahāḥ: those who have accepted (gifts) at holy places
• kṛta-tīrtha-pratigrahāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (कृतः तीर्थप्रतिग्रहः येषां ते); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘having performed acceptance at tīrthas’

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; correlative pronoun

• imām: this
• imām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yonim: womb; birth; state of existence
• yonim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ṛcchanti: reach; attain
• ṛcchanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ṛcch (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahā-duḥkha-nibandhanīm: which is a cause of great suffering
• mahā-duḥkha-nibandhanīm: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + nibandhanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (महद् दुःखं यस्याः सा/महादुःखस्य निबन्धनी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifying ‘yonim’

Speaker

Rākṣasa (generalizing moral law from experience)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (general tīrtha economy)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a pilgrim-priest figure receiving offerings at a tīrtha, while a shadowy vision shows the consequence—falling into a dark womb-like state symbolizing painful rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Parvan (sacred day)
• Dāna (charity)
• Tīrtha-pratigraha
• Yoni (state of birth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Religious income without corresponding charity and duty is spiritually dangerous; dharma demands giving, not mere taking.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named; the verse addresses ethics surrounding pilgrimage places and offerings in general.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dāna (charity) on parva-days and avoid improper acceptance of tirtha-related gifts (pratigraha).