Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

यद्ब्राह्मणाः स्तुत्यतमा वदन्ति तद्देवता कर्मभिराचरंति । तुष्टेषु तुष्टाः सततं भवन्ति प्रत्यक्षदेवेषु परोक्षदेवाः

Transliteration

yadbrāhmaṇāḥ stutyatamā vadanti taddevatā karmabhirācaraṃti | tuṣṭeṣu tuṣṭāḥ satataṃ bhavanti pratyakṣadeveṣu parokṣadevāḥ

Translation

അത്യന്തം സ്തുത്യരായ ബ്രാഹ്മണർ എന്തു പറയുന്നു, അതേ ദേവതകൾ തങ്ങളുടെ കർമങ്ങളാൽ ആചരിക്കുന്നു. പ്രത്യക്ഷദേവന്മാരായ ബ്രാഹ്മണർ തൃപ്തരായാൽ, പരോക്ഷദേവതകളും നിത്യവും തൃപ്തരാകും.

Word by Word

• yat: what (that which)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (correlative)

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• stutyatamāḥ: most praiseworthy
• stutyatamāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: stutya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अतिशय-तमप् (superlative) ‘most worthy of praise’

• vadanti: say
• vadanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तद्-यद् समन्वय (correlative)

• devatāḥ: deities
• devatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• karmabhiḥ: by actions/rites
• karmabhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ācaranti: perform, practice
• ācaranti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + car (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• tuṣṭeṣu: when (they are) pleased
• tuṣṭeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭa (tuṣ धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; ‘when/among (they are) pleased’

• tuṣṭāḥ: pleased
• tuṣṭāḥ: Predicate (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭa (tuṣ धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• satatam: always, continually
• satatam: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• bhavanti: become/are
• bhavanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• pratyakṣa-deveṣu: among the manifest (direct) gods
• pratyakṣa-deveṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• parokṣa-devāḥ: the unseen (indirect) gods
• parokṣa-devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-tier composition: foreground brāhmaṇas being honored with offerings; background/upper register shows devatās smiling and showering blessings, indicating invisible approval.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Devatā
• Pratyakṣa-deva
• Parokṣa-deva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving and pleasing dharmic Brāhmaṇas is equated with pleasing the gods who respond through ritual order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Purāṇa ties tīrtha merit to proper reverence for ritual custodians.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: follow brāhmaṇa guidance in karma (rites) and seek their satisfaction as part of dharmic worship.