Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अंगुल्या दंतकाष्ठं च प्रत्यक्षं लवणं च यत् । मृत्तिकाभक्षणं चैव तुल्यं गोमांसभक्षणैः

Transliteration

aṃgulyā daṃtakāṣṭhaṃ ca pratyakṣaṃ lavaṇaṃ ca yat | mṛttikābhakṣaṇaṃ caiva tulyaṃ gomāṃsabhakṣaṇaiḥ

Translation

指で代用して正しい清めを怠ること、歯木を誤って用いること、塩をあからさまに口にすること、また土を食すること――これらは罪において牛肉を食するのと等しいと宣示される。

Word by Word

• अङ्गुल्या: with the finger
• अङ्गुल्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine, instrumental singular)

• दन्तकाष्ठम्: tooth-stick
• दन्तकाष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त + काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (neuter, accusative singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable conjunction: and)

• प्रत्यक्षम्: directly (in front)/manifest
• प्रत्यक्षम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, accusative singular: manifest/direct)

• लवणम्: salt
• लवणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

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

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun: which/that)

• मृत्तिकाभक्षणम्: eating clay
• मृत्तिकाभक्षणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्तिका + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘मृत्तिकायाः भक्षणम्’ (neuter sg: eating clay)

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (indeclinable particle: indeed/just)

• तुल्यम्: equal
• तुल्यम्: Pradhana-visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (neuter sg: equal)

• गोमांसभक्षणैः: with (the sin of) eating beef
• गोमांसभक्षणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + मांस + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘गोमांसस्य भक्षणम्’ (instrumental plural: with/by acts of eating beef; comparison-instrument)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from dharma-śikṣā tone within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa is admonished by a learned brāhmaṇa: improper mouth/food habits are shown as dark stains, contrasted with a clean ritual setting near the sea-tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsakṣetra
• Dantakāṣṭha
• Gomāṃsa (cow-flesh)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma warns that careless or taboo conduct in daily life can carry grave moral-spiritual consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where strict purity norms are taught as part of living dharma in a sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition list: avoid improper cleansing practices and taboo consumptions (e.g., clay-eating), stated to incur severe demerit.