Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

सद्यः पतति मांसेन लाक्षया लवणेन च । त्र्यहेण शूद्रो भवति ब्राह्मणः क्षीरविक्रयात्

Transliteration

sadyaḥ patati māṃsena lākṣayā lavaṇena ca | tryaheṇa śūdro bhavati brāhmaṇaḥ kṣīravikrayāt

Translation

മാംസം, ലാക്ഷ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഉപ്പ് വിൽക്കുന്നതാൽ ഉടൻ തന്നെ പതനം സംഭവിക്കുന്നു; പാൽ വിൽക്കുന്നതാൽ ബ്രാഹ്മണനും മൂന്നു ദിവസത്തിനകം ശൂദ്രനാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: immediately)

• पतति: falls (from status)
• पतति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मांसेन: by/through meat
• मांसेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• लाक्षया: by lac (resin/dye)
• लाक्षया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• लवणेन: by salt
• लवणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• त्र्यहेण: within three days
• त्र्यहेण: Karana (Instrument/Time-measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्र्यह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि अहानि)

• शूद्रः: a Śūdra
• शूद्रः: Pradhana (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• क्षीरविक्रयात्: from (the act of) selling milk
• क्षीरविक्रयात्: Apadana (Ablative/Cause-source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर + विक्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (क्षीरस्य विक्रयः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharma-upadeśa scene in Prabhāsa: a teacher-figure warns a brāhmaṇa merchant; symbolic items—meat, lac lumps, salt crystals, a milk pot—are shown as causes of ‘fall’.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma cautions that certain trades corrode spiritual standing; livelihood must align with purity and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the Māhātmya includes strong dharma injunctions to protect the sanctity of the sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prohibits/condemns selling particular items (meat, lac, salt; and for brāhmaṇas, milk), stating the karmic consequence as immediate or rapid ‘fall’.