Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । प्रतिग्रहो ब्राह्मणानां दृष्टा वृत्तिरनिंदिता । तस्मात्प्रतिग्रहं मत्त गृह्णीध्वं मुनिपुंगवाः

Transliteration

rājovāca | pratigraho brāhmaṇānāṃ dṛṣṭā vṛttiraniṃditā | tasmātpratigrahaṃ matta gṛhṇīdhvaṃ munipuṃgavāḥ

Translation

พระราชาตรัสว่า “การรับทาน (ประติครหะ) เป็นวิถีเลี้ยงชีพอันปราศจากมลทินของพราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย เพราะฉะนั้น โอ้ยอดแห่งมุนีทั้งปวง โปรดรับทานนี้จากเราเถิด”

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• प्रतिग्रहः: acceptance (of gifts)
• प्रतिग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• दृष्टा: is seen; is regarded
• दृष्टा: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (दृष्ट)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘वृत्तिः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/विधेय

• वृत्तिः: a livelihood; practice
• वृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अनिन्दिता: blameless
• अनिन्दिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (निषेध) + निन्दित (निन्द् धातु + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (वृत्तिः)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक तद्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत्; पञ्चमी-रूपेण हेत्वर्थे (ablative used as ‘therefore/from that reason’)

• प्रतिग्रहम्: acceptance (of gifts)
• प्रतिग्रहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• मत्तः: from me
• मत्तः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; ‘from me’

• गृह्णीध्वम्: accept; take
• गृह्णीध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• मुनिपुङ्गवाः: O best of sages
• मुनिपुङ्गवाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + पुङ्गव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मुनीनां पुङ्गवाः)

Speaker

Rājā (the King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king addresses the sages with folded hands, offering gifts; sages remain composed, their faces showing restraint and discernment, indicating an impending refusal or ethical debate.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Muni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even acts like charity must align with dharma; the king assumes gift-acceptance is automatically blameless, but the narrative will test that assumption.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is Prabhāsa Kṣetra, presented in the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya section of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charitable giving) and pratigraha (acceptance of gifts) are introduced as dharma-topics, though conditions of proper acceptance are clarified later.