Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तत्र ज्ञानविदो विप्रा यजंति विविधैर्मखैः । ऋषयः सांख्ययोगेन दानेनैवेतरे जनाः

Transliteration

tatra jñānavido viprā yajaṃti vividhairmakhaiḥ | ṛṣayaḥ sāṃkhyayogena dānenaivetare janāḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ജ്ഞാനവിദരായ ബ്രാഹ്മണർ വിവിധ മഖങ്ങളായ യജ്ഞങ്ങളാൽ യജന ചെയ്യുന്നു; ഋഷികൾ സാംഖ്യവും യോഗവും കൊണ്ട് সাধന ചെയ്യുന്നു; മറ്റു ജനങ്ങൾ ദാനത്തിലൂടെയേ പുണ്യം സമ്പാദിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/adverb of place)

• jñāna-vidaḥ: knowers of sacred knowledge
• jñāna-vidaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + vid (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ज्ञानं वेत्ति इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (knowers of knowledge)

• viprāḥ: brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• yajanti: they sacrifice/worship
• yajanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yaj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• vividhaiḥ: with various
• vividhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying makhaiḥ)

• makhaiḥ: sacrifices/rites
• makhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: makha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• sāṃkhya-yogena: by Sāṃkhya and Yoga
• sāṃkhya-yogena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāṃkhya (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सांख्यश्च योगश्च इति इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (as a combined discipline)

• dānena: by giving/charity
• dānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/अवधारण particle)

• itare: other
• itare: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: itara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying janāḥ)

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra (dharma-sādhana-bhūmi)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sacred riverside: one group of brāhmaṇas conducts a yajña with fire altar; nearby sages sit in meditation and philosophical discourse; common folk offer alms and food to ascetics—showing diverse spiritual disciplines coexisting.

Characters & Entities

• Vipras (Brāhmaṇas)
• Ṛṣis
• Sāṃkhya
• Yoga
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma accommodates diverse temperaments—ritual, contemplation, yogic discipline, and charity—all becoming fruitful in a sanctified place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The holy locale ‘there’ in the narrative (a Gaṅgā-side sacred region mentioned in the preceding verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It mentions yajñas (sacrifices) and dāna (charity) as practiced there; no single mandated rite is specified.