Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

नाभाग उवाच । अर्द्धराज्यं समस्तं वा निषादेभ्यः प्रदीयताम् । एतन्मूल्यमहं मन्ये किं वाऽन्यन्मन्यसे द्विज

Transliteration

nābhāga uvāca | arddharājyaṃ samastaṃ vā niṣādebhyaḥ pradīyatām | etanmūlyamahaṃ manye kiṃ vā'nyanmanyase dvija

Translation

നാഭാഗൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നിഷാദർക്കു അർദ്ധരാജ്യമോ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ സമസ്തരാജ്യമോ നൽകട്ടെ. ഇതാണ് യോജ്യമായ മൂല്യമെന്ന് ഞാൻ കരുതുന്നു; ഹേ ദ്വിജാ, നിനക്ക് മറ്റെന്തെങ്കിലും യോജ്യമെന്നു തോന്നുന്നുണ്ടോ?

Word by Word

• नाभागः: Nābhāga
• नाभागः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अर्द्धराज्यम्: half the kingdom
• अर्द्धराज्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• समस्तम्: entire
• समस्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• निषादेभ्यः: to the Niṣādas
• निषादेभ्यः: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निषाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रदीयताम्: let it be given
• प्रदीयताम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• मूल्यम्: price; compensation
• मूल्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• मन्ये: think; consider
• मन्ये: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• अन्यत्: something else
• अन्यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• मन्यसे: do you think
• मन्यसे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• द्विज: O brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Nabhāga

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Āpastamba

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nabhāga, intense and sincere, offers half or all his kingdom to the Niṣādas; a symbolic map/scroll of the realm is presented, while the sage remains composed, weighing propriety.

Characters & Entities

• Nabhāga
• Niṣādas
• Āpastamba (addressed as dvija)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma may demand radical generosity; a righteous king values justice and merit over attachment to sovereignty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the narrative associates sacred space with extraordinary dāna and ethical resolve.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An extreme form of dāna is proposed—granting land/kingdom to the Niṣādas.