Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

पर्वण्यदत्तदाना ये कृततीर्थप्रतिग्रहाः । त इमां योनिमृच्छंति महादुःख निबंधनीम्

Transliteration

parvaṇyadattadānā ye kṛtatīrthapratigrahāḥ | ta imāṃ yonimṛcchaṃti mahāduḥkha nibaṃdhanīm

Translation

ಪರ್ವದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದಾನ ಕೊಡದೆ, ತೀರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ ದಾನ-ಪ್ರತಿಗ್ರಹ (ದಕ್ಷಿಣೆ) ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸುವವರು ಈ ಯೋನಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಬೀಳುತ್ತಾರೆ—ಇದು ಮಹಾದುಃಖದ ಬಂಧನ।

Word by Word

• parvaṇi: on a sacred day
• parvaṇi: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘on a festival/holy day’

• adatta-dānāḥ: those who have not given gifts
• adatta-dānāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + datta (कृदन्त) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि (येषां दानं न दत्तम्); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; qualifying ‘ye’

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; relative pronoun

• kṛta-tīrtha-pratigrahāḥ: those who have accepted (gifts) at holy places
• kṛta-tīrtha-pratigrahāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (कृतः तीर्थप्रतिग्रहः येषां ते); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘having performed acceptance at tīrthas’

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; correlative pronoun

• imām: this
• imām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yonim: womb; birth; state of existence
• yonim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ṛcchanti: reach; attain
• ṛcchanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ṛcch (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahā-duḥkha-nibandhanīm: which is a cause of great suffering
• mahā-duḥkha-nibandhanīm: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + nibandhanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (महद् दुःखं यस्याः सा/महादुःखस्य निबन्धनी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifying ‘yonim’

Speaker

Rākṣasa (generalizing moral law from experience)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (general tīrtha economy)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a pilgrim-priest figure receiving offerings at a tīrtha, while a shadowy vision shows the consequence—falling into a dark womb-like state symbolizing painful rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Parvan (sacred day)
• Dāna (charity)
• Tīrtha-pratigraha
• Yoni (state of birth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Religious income without corresponding charity and duty is spiritually dangerous; dharma demands giving, not mere taking.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named; the verse addresses ethics surrounding pilgrimage places and offerings in general.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dāna (charity) on parva-days and avoid improper acceptance of tirtha-related gifts (pratigraha).