Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मचारी सदा दांतो जितक्रोधो जितेंद्रियः । एवं ते ब्राह्मणाः ख्याताः क्षेत्रमध्यनिवासिनः

Transliteration

brahmacārī sadā dāṃto jitakrodho jiteṃdriyaḥ | evaṃ te brāhmaṇāḥ khyātāḥ kṣetramadhyanivāsinaḥ

Translation

അവർ സദാ ബ്രഹ്മചാരികൾ, നിത്യ ദാന്തർ, ക്രോധജിതർ, ഇന്ദ്രിയജിതർ—ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണർ ഇങ്ങനെ പ്രസിദ്ധരാണ്।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मचारी: celibate; one observing brahmacarya
• ब्रह्मचारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मचारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine, nominative singular; adjective)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• दान्तः: self-controlled; restrained
• दान्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दान्त (प्रातिपदिक; √दम् (धातु) से निष्पन्न)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (past participial adjective); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• जितक्रोधः: one who has conquered anger
• जितक्रोधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (√जि धातु) + क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् ‘जित’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्रोधं जितः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• जितेन्द्रियः: one who has mastered the senses
• जितेन्द्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (√जि धातु) + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् ‘जित’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (इन्द्रियाणि जितानि यस्य/इन्द्रियं जितः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• एवम्: thus; in this way
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (pronoun; masculine nominative plural)

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (masculine nominative plural)

• ख्याताः: are known; are famed
• ख्याताः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्यात (√ख्या धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे ‘(ते) ख्याताः (सन्ति)’ (PPP; masculine nominative plural; used predicatively: ‘are known’)

• क्षेत्रमध्यनिवासिनः: residents in the middle of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रमध्यनिवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √वस् धातु)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थक (क्षेत्रस्य मध्ये निवासिनः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (masculine nominative plural)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (kṣetra-madhya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene inner precinct of Prabhāsa: austere brāhmaṇas sit in meditation and Vedic recitation, faces calm, senses withdrawn; the sanctum glows behind them.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsakṣetra
• brāhmaṇa
• brahmacarya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The inner ‘center’ of a holy place is guarded by inner discipline—celibacy, restraint, and conquest of anger and senses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, especially the sanctity of those residing in its central precinct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An ethical prescription: maintaining brahmacarya, self-restraint, and mastery over anger and senses as qualifications for kṣetra-residence.