Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

आपस्तंब उवाच । नार्हं मूल्यं च मे कोटिरधिकं वापि पार्थिव । सदृशं दीयतां मूल्यं ब्राह्मणैः सह चिंतय

Transliteration

āpastaṃba uvāca | nārhaṃ mūlyaṃ ca me koṭiradhikaṃ vāpi pārthiva | sadṛśaṃ dīyatāṃ mūlyaṃ brāhmaṇaiḥ saha ciṃtaya

Translation

Āpastamba berkata: “Wahai raja, satu koṭi atau lebih pun bukanlah ‘harga’ yang layak bagiku. Berikanlah bayaran yang sepadan—bermusyawarahlah bersama para brāhmaṇa.”

Word by Word

• आपस्तम्बः: Āpastamba
• आपस्तम्बः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपस्तम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अर्हम्: worthy; deserving
• अर्हम्: Vidhyartha (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्ह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्—‘अहम्’ (understood)

• मूल्यम्: price
• मूल्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• मे: my
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कोटिः: a crore
• कोटिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अधिकम्: more; additional
• अधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘कोटिः’/‘मूल्यम्’ (sense: ‘more/excess’)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: ‘or’)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: ‘also/even’)

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• सदृशम्: suitable
• सदृशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘मूल्यम्’

• दीयताम्: let (it) be given
• दीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• मूल्यम्: the price
• मूल्यम्: Karta (Subject in passive/कर्मकर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-क्रियायाः कर्तृस्थानी (subject of passive)

• ब्राह्मणैः: with Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्यय (with)

• चिन्तय: consider
• चिन्तय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Āpastamba

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nabhāga

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Āpastamba raises a hand in gentle refusal, rejecting even a koṭi; he directs the king toward a circle of brāhmaṇas for deliberation, with palm-leaf manuscripts and kusa seats indicating dharma-assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Āpastamba
• Nabhāga
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual authority cannot be priced; dharmic giving must be proportionate, principled, and decided with wise counsel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, depicted as a place where discernment and righteous counsel guide acts of giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Consultation with brāhmaṇas is advised before determining the appropriate dāna/compensation.