Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

प्रतिग्रहाग्निहोत्राश्च वृथा दारा वृथाश्रमाः । सदा क्षेत्राणि तीर्थानि लोभादेव गमिष्यथ

Transliteration

pratigrahāgnihotrāśca vṛthā dārā vṛthāśramāḥ | sadā kṣetrāṇi tīrthāni lobhādeva gamiṣyatha

Translation

మీ దానగ్రహణం మరియు అగ్నిహోత్రం ఫలరహితం అవుతుంది; మీ గృహస్థాశ్రమం, తపోఆశ్రమమూ వ్యర్థమవుతాయి. మీరు ఎల్లప్పుడూ లోభంతోనే క్షేత్ర-తీర్థాలకు వెళ్తారు.

Word by Word

• प्रतिग्रहाग्निहोत्राः: receiving gifts and performing agnihotra
• प्रतिग्रहाग्निहोत्राः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्निहोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्तृ/विषय-निर्देश

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• वृथा: in vain
• वृथा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थ/निरर्थकत्ववाचक-अव्यय (adverb: in vain)

• दाराः: wives (marital life)
• दाराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (नित्यबहुवचन), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• वृथा: in vain
• वृथा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थ-अव्यय (adverb)

• आश्रमाः: āśramas/stages of life
• आश्रमाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

• क्षेत्राणि: sacred places/fields
• क्षेत्राणि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्म (गमनस्य)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage-fords
• तीर्थानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्म (क्षेत्राणि इत्यस्य सह)

• लोभात्: from greed; due to greed
• लोभात्: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतुः/कारण

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• गमिष्यथ: you (pl.) will go
• गमिष्यथ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sāvitrī (contextual continuation of the curse upon the ṛtvij Brāhmaṇas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern female ascetic/śakti-figure admonishes ritualists: priests with ladles and agnihotra fires, pilgrims with travel staffs and offering baskets, all shown with anxious faces as the word ‘vṛthā’ is implied by withering flames and dimmed halos.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Agnihotra
• Tīrtha
• Kṣetra
• Brāhmaṇas/Ṛtvijas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and ritual lose merit when driven by greed; tīrtha-yātrā must be rooted in śraddhā and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tīrthas and kṣetras are praised implicitly as truly merit-giving when approached rightly; the chapter’s setting remains Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Agnihotra and gift-acceptance (pratigraha) are referenced; the teaching is ethical—warning that these become ‘vṛthā’ without dharmic intent.