Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणान्भोजयित्वा तु महिषीं तत्र दापयेत् । दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु स्वर्गलोके महीयते

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānbhojayitvā tu mahiṣīṃ tatra dāpayet | divyaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu svargaloke mahīyate

Translation

ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਭੋਜਨ ਕਰਵਾ ਕੇ, ਉੱਥੇ ਮਹਿਸੀ ਦਾ ਦਾਨ ਕਰੇ। ਤਦ ਉਹ ਸਵਰਗ ਲੋਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਦਿਵ੍ਯ ਵਰ੍ਹਿਆਂ ਤੱਕ ਮਹਿਮਾ ਨਾਲ ਸਨਮਾਨਿਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• भोजयित्वा: having fed
• भोजयित्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative) + क्त्वा (Gerund/Absolutive): 'having caused to eat/fed'

• तु: and then; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक (particle: 'but/indeed')

• महिषीम्: a buffalo-cow (female buffalo)
• महिषीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिषी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'there')

• दापयेत्: should cause (someone) to give; should have (it) given
• दापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative) + विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• वर्षसहस्रम्: a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक (particle)

• स्वर्गलोके: in heaven-world
• स्वर्गलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• महीयते: is honored; is glorified
• महीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from section continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arkasthala (context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tīrtha-side feeding hall: seated brāhmaṇas receiving a respectful meal; the donor offers a dark buffalo-cow (mahīṣī) with a cloth and garland; above, a celestial scene shows the donor honored in svarga for a thousand divine years.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Svarga (heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-yātrā is completed by dharma: feeding the worthy and giving dāna, which is said to yield exalted heavenly merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The prescription belongs to the Arkasthala/Prabhāsa-kṣetra context of the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feed brāhmaṇas (brāhmaṇa-bhojana) and perform mahiṣī-dāna (donation of a buffalo) at the sacred place.