Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

यो न क्लिष्टोपि भिक्षेत ब्राह्मण स्तीर्थसेवकः । सत्यवादी समाधिस्थः स तीर्थस्योपकारकः

Transliteration

yo na kliṣṭopi bhikṣeta brāhmaṇa stīrthasevakaḥ | satyavādī samādhisthaḥ sa tīrthasyopakārakaḥ

Translation

കഷ്ടത്തിലായാലും ഭിക്ഷ ചോദിക്കാത്ത, തീർത്ഥസേവകനായ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ സത്യവാദിയും സമാധിസ്ഥനുമായിരിക്കുകയാണെങ്കിൽ—അവൻ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ യഥാർത്ഥ ഉപകാരകനാണ്.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• kliṣṭaḥ: afflicted, distressed
• kliṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kliṣṭa (कृदन्त; √kliś क्लिश्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-प्रयोग (particle: even/also)

• bhikṣeta: should beg
• bhikṣeta: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhikṣ (भिक्ष्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे/विषय-निर्देशे (here: subject apposition)

• tīrtha-sevakaḥ: servant/attendant of the tīrtha
• tīrtha-sevakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + sevaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tīrthasya sevakaḥ)

• satya-vādī: truth-speaking
• satya-vādī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + vādī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (satyaṃ vadati iti) विशेषण

• samādhi-sthaḥ: abiding in samādhi
• samādhi-sthaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samādhi (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त; √sthā स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (samādhau sthitaḥ) विशेषण

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (correlative pronoun)

• tīrthasya: of the tīrtha
• tīrthasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• upakārakaḥ: benefactor, helper
• upakārakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upakāraka (प्रातिपदिक; from upa-√kṛ कृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm brāhmaṇa tīrtha-sevaka stands near the ghat with a broom and water-pot, serving quietly; despite worn clothing, his face is serene, eyes half-closed in samādhi; pilgrims offer voluntary gifts which he accepts without greed.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇa
• tīrtha-sevaka
• samādhi
• satya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holiness of a place is upheld by the self-restraint, truthfulness, and dignity of those who serve it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, by describing the character of those whose conduct enhances the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A conduct prescription: the tīrtha-servant should avoid begging, remain truthful, and stay inwardly composed.