Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 135

Devanagari script

तस्मान्नाहं ग्रहीष्यामि एतं तव प्रतिग्रहम्

Transliteration

tasmānnāhaṃ grahīṣyāmi etaṃ tava pratigraham

Translation

«C’est pourquoi je n’accepterai pas ce don de ta part.»

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति सर्वनाम-निपातवत्; पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपं कारणार्थे (ablative used as ‘therefore/from that reason’)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• grahīṣyāmi: will accept/take
• grahīṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (ग्रह् धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• etam: this
• etam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण; पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying pratigraham)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• pratigraham: acceptance (gift-receipt)
• pratigraham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Vātaka (addressing Śakra/Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained brāhmaṇa, palms slightly raised in refusal, declines an offered gift; the donor stands insistent, attendants and townsmen watching, suggesting social pressure around ritual giving.

Characters & Entities

• Vātaka
• Śakra (Indra)
• Pratigraha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma may require refusing even powerful patrons when acceptance compromises purity, reputation, or righteous norms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The refusal occurs within the Gartā-tīrtha narrative setting of this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A negative prescription: do not accept (pratigraha) when the gift is understood as sin-derived or dharmically blameworthy.