Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

एवं यस्तु द्विजो गच्छेत्प्रतिग्रहविवर्जितः । पदेपदेऽश्वमेधस्य फलं प्राप्नोत्य संशयम्

Transliteration

evaṃ yastu dvijo gacchetpratigrahavivarjitaḥ | padepade'śvamedhasya phalaṃ prāpnotya saṃśayam

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ പ്രതിഗ്രഹം (ദാനം സ്വീകരിക്കൽ) ഒഴിവാക്കി തീർത്ഥയാത്രയ്ക്കു പോകുന്ന ദ്വിജൻ, ഓരോ പടിയിലും അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു—സംശയമില്ല.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: thus)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध (particle: but/indeed)

• द्विजः: a twice-born (Brāhmaṇa etc.)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; यः-सम्बन्धि (apposition to ‘यः’)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रतिग्रह-विवर्जितः: free from accepting gifts
• प्रतिग्रह-विवर्जितः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (प्रातिपदिक; क्त from √vṛj/√varj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (devoid of accepting gifts)

• पदे: at a step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग (in each step)

• पदे: at (every) step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive)

• अश्वमेधस्य: of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit; merit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग-प्र (pra+āp)

• अशंशयम्: undoubtedly
• अशंशयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aśaṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverbial accusative: without doubt)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa pilgrim walks a long sacred path with staff and water-pot, declining offered coins/garlands from townsfolk; each footprint glows like a small sacrificial altar, symbolizing Aśvamedha fruit at every step.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Pratigraha
• Aśvamedha
• Tīrtha-yātrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint and purity of livelihood during pilgrimage magnify spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha-yātrā framework of Prabhāsakṣetra, where each step is praised as extraordinarily meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dvija pilgrim should refrain from pratigraha (accepting gifts) while undertaking the yātrā.