Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

उत्कोचतश्च यत्प्राप्तं यत्प्राप्तं चैव साहसात् । व्याजेनोपार्जितं यच्च तत्कृष्णं समुदाहृतम्

Transliteration

utkocataśca yatprāptaṃ yatprāptaṃ caiva sāhasāt | vyājenopārjitaṃ yacca tatkṛṣṇaṃ samudāhṛtam

Translation

สิ่งใดได้มาด้วยสินบน สิ่งใดได้มาด้วยความรุนแรงหรือการบีบบังคับ และสิ่งใดได้มาด้วยข้ออ้างอันหลอกลวง—ทั้งหมดนั้นประกาศว่าเป็น “กฤษณะ” (ดำ) คือทรัพย์อันไม่บริสุทธิ์

Word by Word

• utkocataḥ: from bribery
• utkocataḥ: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utkoca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• yat: whatever (that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-यत्

• prāptam: obtained
• prāptam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpta (प्रातिपदिक; pra-√āp (धातु) + kta)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• yat: whatever (that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prāptam: obtained
• prāptam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpta (प्रातिपदिक; pra-√āp (धातु) + kta)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• sāhasāt: from violence/force
• sāhasāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāhasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• vyājena: by deceit/pretext
• vyājena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• upārjitam: acquired
• upārjitam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√arj (धातु) + kta
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• yat: whatever (that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• tat-kṛṣṇam: that is ‘black’ (impure)
• tat-kṛṣṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘तत् कृष्णम्’ = that is black/impure)

• samudāhṛtam: is declared/called
• samudāhṛtam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-√hṛ (धातु) + kta
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral-contrast tableau: shadowy figures exchanging bribes, a coercive seizure scene, and a deceitful contract—each rendered with dark (kṛṣṇa) smoke rising; in the foreground, a śrāddha altar rejects the dark coins, while a lamp of dharma burns steady near the Somnātha shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma rejects gains rooted in corruption or harm; such wealth cannot sanctify sacred rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where purity of means is emphasized as part of the kṣetra’s dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not fund śrāddha or offerings with wealth gained through bribery, coercion/violence, or deceit; it is classified as ‘kṛṣṇa’ (impure).