Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

स्नानं दानं जपो होमः स्वाध्यायो देवतार्चनम् । पुण्यं देयं तु सर्वत्र नापुण्यं दीयते क्वचित्

Transliteration

snānaṃ dānaṃ japo homaḥ svādhyāyo devatārcanam | puṇyaṃ deyaṃ tu sarvatra nāpuṇyaṃ dīyate kvacit

Translation

Ang banal na pagligo, pagkakawanggawa, pagbigkas ng mantra, paghahandog ng homa sa apoy, pag-aaral ng Veda, at pagsamba sa Diyos—ito’y mga kabutihang dapat ialay saanman; huwag kailanman mag-alay ng di-mabuti sa alinmang dako.

Word by Word

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• dānam: gift; charity
• dānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• japaḥ: recitation (japa)
• japaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• homaḥ: fire-offering (homa)
• homaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• svādhyāyaḥ: self-study; Vedic study
• svādhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svādhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• devatārcanam: worship of deities
• devatārcanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: देवतानाम् अर्चनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• puṇyam: merit; a meritorious thing
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular (as ‘that which is meritorious’)

• deyam: to be given; should be given
• deyam: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धातु) + ya (यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्यय, भाव्य/कर्तव्य-अर्थ); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular (predicate adjective)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tra (त्र-प्रत्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place) — ‘everywhere’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• apuṇyam: demerit; non-merit
• apuṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• dīyate: is given
• dīyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present Indicative 3rd sg (passive-like sense: ‘is given’)

• kvacit: anywhere; ever
• kvacit: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चित-देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb: ‘somewhere/ever’)

Speaker

Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau of six practices: a pilgrim bathing, giving alms, chanting japa with mālā, offering homa into fire, studying a Vedic text, and performing deity-archana—framed as universally valid acts; a shadowy ‘apuṇya’ figure is excluded outside the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Devatā
• Homa
• Svādhyāya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is universal: cultivate meritorious disciplines everywhere and avoid sinful actions without exception.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Though stated universally, it appears within the Prabhāsa Kṣetra māhātmya as guidance for pilgrims.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Core practices: snāna, dāna, japa, homa, svādhyāya, and devatā-arcana; and a prohibition against apuṇya.