Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

राजप्रतिग्रहासक्ता वृत्त्या देवार्चने रताः । भविष्यथ कलौ प्राप्ते लिंगद्रव्योपजीविनः

Transliteration

rājapratigrahāsaktā vṛttyā devārcane ratāḥ | bhaviṣyatha kalau prāpte liṃgadravyopajīvinaḥ

Translation

രാജദാനങ്ങൾ സ്വീകരിക്കുന്നതിൽ ആസക്തരായി, ഉപജീവനാർത്ഥം ദേവാരാധനയിൽ രതരായി, കലിയുഗം വന്നാൽ നിങ്ങൾ ലിംഗദ്രവ്യം (ക്ഷേത്രസമ്പത്ത്) ആശ്രയിച്ച് ജീവിക്കുന്നവരാകും.

Word by Word

• rāja-pratigraha-āsaktāḥ: attached to accepting gifts from kings
• rāja-pratigraha-āsaktāḥ: Visheshana (qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rāja (प्रातिपदिक) + pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक) + āsakta (√sañj/√as? + क्त; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः; प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (राजप्रतिग्रहे आसक्ताः)

• vṛttyā: by livelihood/for livelihood
• vṛttyā: Karana (means/mode/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः; तृतीया एकवचनम्

• deva-arcane: in worship of gods
• deva-arcane: Adhikarana (locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः; सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative); तत्पुरुषः (देवस्य अर्चनम्)

• ratāḥ: engaged/delighting
• ratāḥ: Visheshana (qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rata (√ram + क्त; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्गः; प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• bhaviṣyatha: you will become
• bhaviṣyatha: Kriya (prediction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (simple future); परस्मैपदम्; मध्यमपुरुषः; बहुवचनम्

• kalau: in the Kali age
• kalau: Adhikarana (time-locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः; सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative)

• prāpte: when (it) has arrived
• prāpte: Adhikarana (locative absolute nuance with time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra√āp (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्गे/नपुंसके सप्तमी एकवचनम्; 'कलौ' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• liṅga-dravya-upajīvinaḥ: those who live off (religious) emblems and offerings
• liṅga-dravya-upajīvinaḥ: Karta/Predicate nominal (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + dravya (प्रातिपदिक) + upajīvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः; प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (लिङ्गद्रव्येण उपजीविनः)

Speaker

Devī (curse continued; reported by narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The cursed ascetics (ṛṣis)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Devī’s curse becomes specific: the ascetics will, in Kali-yuga, become dependent on royal patronage and reduce deva-arcana to a livelihood, living off liṅga property.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Kings
• Liṅga (Śiva)
• Temple wealth (dravya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Religious service becomes corrupted when driven by greed; sacred wealth must not be treated as personal income.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the frame, highlighting standards for conduct around Śiva worship in a renowned tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, worship should be sincere rather than a livelihood; no specific rite is prescribed.