Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

न पाटितं समश्नीयाद्दंतकाष्ठं न सव्रणम् । न चोर्द्धशुष्कं वक्रं वा नैव च त्वग्विवर्ज्जितम्

Transliteration

na pāṭitaṃ samaśnīyāddaṃtakāṣṭhaṃ na savraṇam | na corddhaśuṣkaṃ vakraṃ vā naiva ca tvagvivarjjitam

Translation

Jangan memakai dantakāṣṭha yang terbelah, dan jangan pula yang terluka atau rusak. Jangan yang setengah kering, yang bengkok, ataupun yang telah terkelupas kulitnya.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय; Negative particle

• पाटितम्: split, torn
• पाटितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पट् (धातु) → पाटित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (qualifying दन्तकाष्ठम्)

• समश्नीयात्: should eat/use (for chewing)
• समश्नीयात्: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada; with उपसर्ग सम्; Optative, 2nd person, Singular

• दन्तकाष्ठम्: tooth-stick
• दन्तकाष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त + काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दन्तानां काष्ठम् / दन्तस्य काष्ठम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• न: nor/not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय; Negative particle

• सव्रणम्: wounded, having a sore
• सव्रणम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + व्रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (व्रणयुक्तम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (qualifying दन्तकाष्ठम्)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय; Negative particle

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; Conjunction

• उर्द्धशुष्कम्: dry at the top/upper part dried
• उर्द्धशुष्कम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उर्द्ध + शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (उर्द्धं शुष्कम्/ऊर्ध्वभागे शुष्कम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (qualifying दन्तकाष्ठम्)

• वक्रम्: crooked
• वक्रम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (qualifying दन्तकाष्ठम्)

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय; Disjunctive particle

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय; Negative particle

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय; Emphatic particle

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; Conjunction

• त्वक्: bark, skin
• त्वक्: Samasa-purvapada (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण); Feminine stem used as prior member ‘bark/skin’

• विवर्जितम्: devoid of, lacking
• विवर्जितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + वर्ज् (धातु) → विवर्जित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (qualifying दन्तकाष्ठम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from instructional dharma tone within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Beloved interlocutor / inquirer

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up instructional scene: a teacher-figure indicates acceptable vs unacceptable tooth-sticks—split, wounded, crooked, barkless—laid on a cloth; the pilgrim selects a straight, fresh twig near a water pot, emphasizing discipline and care.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsakṣetra
• Dantakāṣṭha (tooth-stick)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma treats bodily cleanliness as a sacred discipline, requiring care, propriety, and avoidance of defective implements.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where even daily rites are framed as meritorious when performed according to rule.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Selection rules for dantakāṣṭha: avoid split, damaged, half-dry, crooked, or barkless tooth-sticks.