Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

एहि वैदेहि विप्राणां देहि पादावनेजनम् । एतच्छ्रुत्वाऽथ सा सीता प्रविष्टा वृक्षमध्यतः

Transliteration

ehi vaidehi viprāṇāṃ dehi pādāvanejanam | etacchrutvā'tha sā sītā praviṣṭā vṛkṣamadhyataḥ

Translation

“Marilah, wahai Vaidehī; berikan air untuk membasuh kaki para brāhmaṇa.” Mendengar demikian, Sītā pun masuk ke celah-celah pepohonan.

Word by Word

• एहि: come
• एहि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• वैदेहि: O Vaidehī (Sītā)
• वैदेहि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैदेही (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विप्राणाम्: of the Brahmins
• विप्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• देहि: give
• देहि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• पादावनेजनम्: washing of the feet (water for foot-washing)
• पादावनेजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद + अवनेजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पादानाम् अवनेजनम्)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse connector (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (conjunctive/then)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सीता: Sītā
• सीता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रविष्टा: entered
• प्रविष्टा: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे (used adjectivally with subject)

• वृक्ष-मध्यतः: from/within the middle of the tree (from among the trees)
• वृक्ष-मध्यतः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृक्ष + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वृक्षस्य मध्यतः)

Speaker

Rāma (implied by direct address to Sītā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma instructs Sītā to bring water for washing the brāhmaṇas’ feet; Sītā moves toward a grove to fetch water, with ritual vessels and sages awaiting hospitality.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā (Vaidehī)
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent service to worthy guests—especially during śrāddha—is treated as an extension of worship and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as the sacral backdrop where śrāddha hospitality is enacted.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pādāvanejana—offering water to wash the feet of brāhmaṇas as part of respectful reception in rites.