Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

महादानानि ये विप्रा गृह्णन्ति ज्ञानदुर्बलाः । वृक्षास्ते द्विजरूपेण जायंते ब्रह्मराक्षसाः

Transliteration

mahādānāni ye viprā gṛhṇanti jñānadurbalāḥ | vṛkṣāste dvijarūpeṇa jāyaṃte brahmarākṣasāḥ

Translation

ଯେ ବିପ୍ରମାନେ ସତ୍ୟଜ୍ଞାନରେ ଦୁର୍ବଳ ହୋଇ ମହାଦାନ ଗ୍ରହଣ କରନ୍ତି, ସେମାନେ ବ୍ରହ୍ମରାକ୍ଷସ ହୋଇ ଦ୍ୱିଜରୂପ ଭାସୁଥିବା ବୃକ୍ଷରୂପେ ଜନ୍ମ ନେନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• mahādānāni: great gifts
• mahādānāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (महद् दानम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative Plural

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative Plural (relative pronoun)

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

• gṛhṇanti: accept; take
• gṛhṇanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Present Indicative 3rd pl

• jñānadurbalāḥ: weak in knowledge
• jñānadurbalāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna + durbala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (ज्ञान-सम्बन्धेन दुर्बलाः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative Plural (qualifying viprāḥ)

• vṛkṣāḥ: trees
• vṛkṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative Plural

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative Plural

• dvijarūpeṇa: in the form of a brahmin
• dvijarūpeṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means; here ‘in the form of’/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (द्विजस्य रूपम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental Singular (manner/guise)

• jāyante: are born; come to be
• jāyante: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Present Indicative 3rd pl

• brahmarākṣasāḥ: brahma-rākṣasas (a class of spirits)
• brahmarākṣasāḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma + rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative Plural (predicate noun)

Speaker

Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary tableau: learned-looking but spiritually weak brāhmaṇas accept lavish gifts; the karmic consequence is shown symbolically as tree-like beings with ‘dvija’ marks—brahmarākṣasas bound to a vegetal form.

Characters & Entities

• Vipra
• Brahmarākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity must be matched by worthiness and discernment; improper acceptance of major gifts leads to grave karmic downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The admonition is delivered within the Prabhāsa Kṣetra māhātmya’s pilgrimage-ethics context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An ethical rule: mahā-dāna should not be accepted without requisite knowledge and qualification (adhikāra).