Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 174

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । अत्र स्नात्वा तिलान्यस्तु ब्राह्मणेभ्यः प्रदास्यति । अल्पमृत्युभयं तस्य न कदाचिद्भविष्यति

Transliteration

yama uvāca | atra snātvā tilānyastu brāhmaṇebhyaḥ pradāsyati | alpamṛtyubhayaṃ tasya na kadācidbhaviṣyati

Translation

ਯਮ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: ਜੋ ਇੱਥੇ ਸਨਾਨ ਕਰਕੇ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਤਿਲ ਦਾਨ ਕਰੇ, ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੌਤ ਦਾ ਡਰ ਕਦੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦਾ।

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात्वा (कृदन्त, क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having bathed

• तिलानि: sesame seeds
• तिलानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• अस्तु: let (him)
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; अनुमत्यर्थे/विध्यर्थे (let there be/let him)

• ब्राह्मणेभ्यः: to the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), बहुवचन

• प्रदास्यति: will give
• प्रदास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अल्पमृत्युभयम्: fear of untimely death (little/lessened death-fear)
• अल्पमृत्युभयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मृत्योः भयम्) तथा विशेषणपूर्वपद (अल्पम्)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• कदाचित्: ever
• कदाचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Time/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (at any time/ever)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Yama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-tīrtha (snāna-sthāna)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, dignified and dark-hued, speaks as a moral guardian; a pilgrim emerges from sacred waters and offers sesame to seated Brāhmaṇas; the mood is protective, solemn, and auspicious.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Brāhmaṇa
• tiladāna
• snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bathing at the sacred spot and giving tiladāna to Brāhmaṇas is praised as a dhārmic act that removes fear of untimely death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A revered āśrama-pada/tīrtha within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), spoken of as a place where snāna and dāna yield special merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) here, followed by tiladāna (donation of sesame seeds) to Brāhmaṇas.