Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

यस्य धर्मार्थमप्यर्थास्तस्यापि न हि दृश्यते । प्रक्षालनाद्धि पंकस्य दूरादस्पर्शनं वरम्

Transliteration

yasya dharmārthamapyarthāstasyāpi na hi dṛśyate | prakṣālanāddhi paṃkasya dūrādasparśanaṃ varam

Translation

แม้ผู้ที่กล่าวว่าทรัพย์ของตนมีไว้เพื่อธรรม ก็ยังไม่เห็นความปลอดภัย เพราะดีกว่าการล้างโคลน คือการไม่แตะต้องมันเสียแต่ไกล

Word by Word

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• धर्मार्थम्: for dharma (righteousness)
• धर्मार्थम्: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषार्थे द्वितीया (धर्माय अर्थः) = ‘for dharma’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-शब्द (particle: even)

• अर्थाः: wealth; riches
• अर्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-शब्द (particle: even/also)

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

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• दृश्यते: is seen; is found
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• प्रक्षालनात्: than washing
• प्रक्षालनात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + क्षल् (धातु) + अन (प्रत्यय) → प्रक्षालन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अपादान/तुलनार्थ

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• पङ्कस्य: of mud
• पङ्कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• दूरात्: from a distance
• दूरात्: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (as ‘from afar’)

• अस्पर्शनम्: not touching; avoidance of contact
• अस्पर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भाववाचक

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Pradhana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

Speaker

Kaśyapa (continuing the discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher shows two paths: one person steps into mud then washes; another walks around it untouched. The mud is labeled ‘artha’ and the clean path ‘dharma/śreyas’. Coastal Prabhāsa and pilgrims frame the moral tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Kaśyapa
• Dharma
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Good intentions do not remove the spiritual risk of attachment; avoidance is safer than later purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where dharmic discernment is taught as part of its Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it uses a purity analogy to recommend preemptive restraint.