Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

कुरुते पुरुषः पापं यत्किञ्चिद्वृत्तिकर्शितः । अपि गोचर्ममात्रेण भूमिदानेन शुद्ध्यति

Transliteration

kurute puruṣaḥ pāpaṃ yatkiñcidvṛttikarśitaḥ | api gocarmamātreṇa bhūmidānena śuddhyati

Translation

Un homme, pressé par la subsistance, peut commettre quelque faute; pourtant, en donnant une terre ne fût-ce que de la taille d’une peau de vache, il est purifié.

Word by Word

• कुरुते: does, commits
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• पुरुषः: a man, person
• पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्: whatever (which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम (indefinite: something/any)

• वृत्ति-कर्शितः: distressed by livelihood
• वृत्ति-कर्शितः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्शित (कृदन्त, √कृश्/कर्श्); वृत्ति-कर्शित (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त ‘कर्शित’ (afflicted); विशेषण (puruṣaḥ)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-शब्दः—अपि/अल्पार्थ/सम्भावनार्थ (even)

• गो-चर्म-मात्रेण: by (a plot) only as large as a cowhide
• गो-चर्म-मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक); गो-चर्म-मात्र (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; प्रमाणवाचक (by the measure of a cowhide)

• भूमि-दान-ेन: by the gift of land
• भूमि-दान-ेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक); भूमि-दान (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुद्ध्यति: is purified
• शुद्ध्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A poor householder, anxious from livelihood burdens, offers a small measured patch of land marked by a stretched cowhide; the priest blesses him; the scene shifts from shadow to light to show purification.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūmi-dāna
• Go-carma (cowhide measure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere, dharmic charity—especially land-gift—has strong purificatory power, even when one’s past includes faults born of hardship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, the verse frames righteous giving as a path of purification aligned with Prabhāsa’s holiness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhūmi-dāna is recommended as a purifying act, even if the donated land is very small (cowhide-sized).