Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

न तर्पणं तिलैर्विप्रो विदधात्यतिलो भतः । कार्त्तिकेऽपि च संप्राप्ते विष्णुपूजाविवर्जितः

Transliteration

na tarpaṇaṃ tilairvipro vidadhātyatilo bhataḥ | kārttike'pi ca saṃprāpte viṣṇupūjāvivarjitaḥ

Translation

Ce brāhmane, par avidité excessive, n’accomplit pas le tarpaṇa avec des graines de sésame. Même lorsque vint Kārttika, il demeura sans culte rendu à Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tarpaṇam: libation/oblatory offering (tarpana)
• tarpaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• tilaiḥ: with sesame seeds
• tilaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental, plural)

• vipraḥ: a Brahmin
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular)

• vidadhāti: performs/does
• vidadhāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi√dhā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, parasmaipada, 3rd person singular)

• atilaḥ: without sesame
• atilaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-tila (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थक-विशेषण (masculine, nominative, singular; adjectival: ‘without sesame’)

• bhataḥ: of a servant/retainer
• bhataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, genitive, singular)

• kārttike: in (the month of) Kārttika
• kārttike: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārttika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, locative, singular)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃprāpte: when (it) has arrived
• saṃprāpte: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam√prāp (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (locative singular; ‘when attained/when arrived’)

• viṣṇupūjāvivarjitaḥ: devoid of worship of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇupūjāvivarjitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक) + vi-varjita (कृत; √vṛj/√varj)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/संबन्ध): ‘विष्णोः पूजया विवर्जितः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kārttika moonlit evening near a shrine: devotees offer tulasi and lamps to Viṣṇu, while the greedy brāhmaṇa stands aside clutching coins; a small bowl of sesame remains unused, symbolizing neglected tarpaṇa.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Kārttika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed blocks both pitṛ-duty (tarpaṇa) and devotion; even sacred seasons like Kārttika become fruitless without worship and generosity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa with sesame (tila) and Viṣṇu-pūjā, especially emphasized during the month of Kārttika.