Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

न वेदबलमाश्रित्य प्रतिग्रहरुचिर्भवेत् । अज्ञानाद्वा प्रमादाद्वा दहते कर्म नेतरत्

Transliteration

na vedabalamāśritya pratigraharucirbhavet | ajñānādvā pramādādvā dahate karma netarat

Translation

ବେଦନିଷ୍ଠାର ବଳକୁ ଆଶ୍ରୟ ନକରି ଦାନ-ଗ୍ରହଣରେ ରୁଚି ରଖିବା ଉଚିତ ନୁହେଁ; ଅଜ୍ଞାନ କିମ୍ବା ପ୍ରମାଦରୁ ଏହିପରି କର୍ମ ହିଁ କର୍ମଫଳକୁ ଦହେ, ଅନ୍ୟ କିଛି ନୁହେଁ।

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• veda-balam: the power of the Veda
• veda-balam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वेदस्य बलम्)

• āśritya: having relied on
• āśritya: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-śri (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘आश्रित्य’ = having resorted to

• pratigraha-ruciḥ: desire for accepting gifts
• pratigraha-ruciḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prati-graha (प्रातिपदिक) + ruci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रतिग्रहस्य रुचिः)

• bhavet: should be / may arise
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ajñānāt: from ignorance
• ajñānāt: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• pramādāt: from negligence
• pramādāt: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pramāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• dahate: burns / consumes
• dahate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• karma: (one’s) deed / action
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• itarat: anything else / otherwise
• itarat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘अन्यत्’ (the other/otherwise)

Speaker

Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacherly scene: a disciplined Vedic practitioner refuses gifts with calm restraint, while a negligent recipient is shown with scorched aura symbolizing ‘karma burning’; the tīrtha setting frames the moral.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Pratigraha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gift-taking requires strict dharmic grounding; careless acceptance corrodes spiritual standing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a dharma-instruction embedded in the Prabhāsa Kṣetra tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restraint: do not cultivate pratigraha (receiving gifts) without Vedic discipline and careful eligibility.