Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

राजप्रतिग्रहासक्ता वृत्त्या देवार्चने रताः । भविष्यथ कलौ प्राप्ते लिंगद्रव्योपजीविनः

Transliteration

rājapratigrahāsaktā vṛttyā devārcane ratāḥ | bhaviṣyatha kalau prāpte liṃgadravyopajīvinaḥ

Translation

“بادشاہوں سے نذرانے قبول کرنے میں گرفتار رہ کر، اور دیوتا کی پوجا کو محض روزی کا ذریعہ بنا کر، جب کلی یگ آئے گا تو تم لِنگ کے درویہ (مندر کی ملکیت) پر پلنے والے بنو گے۔”

Word by Word

• rāja-pratigraha-āsaktāḥ: attached to accepting gifts from kings
• rāja-pratigraha-āsaktāḥ: Visheshana (qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rāja (प्रातिपदिक) + pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक) + āsakta (√sañj/√as? + क्त; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः; प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (राजप्रतिग्रहे आसक्ताः)

• vṛttyā: by livelihood/for livelihood
• vṛttyā: Karana (means/mode/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः; तृतीया एकवचनम्

• deva-arcane: in worship of gods
• deva-arcane: Adhikarana (locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः; सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative); तत्पुरुषः (देवस्य अर्चनम्)

• ratāḥ: engaged/delighting
• ratāḥ: Visheshana (qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rata (√ram + क्त; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्गः; प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• bhaviṣyatha: you will become
• bhaviṣyatha: Kriya (prediction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (simple future); परस्मैपदम्; मध्यमपुरुषः; बहुवचनम्

• kalau: in the Kali age
• kalau: Adhikarana (time-locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः; सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative)

• prāpte: when (it) has arrived
• prāpte: Adhikarana (locative absolute nuance with time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra√āp (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्गे/नपुंसके सप्तमी एकवचनम्; 'कलौ' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• liṅga-dravya-upajīvinaḥ: those who live off (religious) emblems and offerings
• liṅga-dravya-upajīvinaḥ: Karta/Predicate nominal (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + dravya (प्रातिपदिक) + upajīvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः; प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (लिङ्गद्रव्येण उपजीविनः)

Speaker

Devī (curse continued; reported by narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The cursed ascetics (ṛṣis)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Devī’s curse becomes specific: the ascetics will, in Kali-yuga, become dependent on royal patronage and reduce deva-arcana to a livelihood, living off liṅga property.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Kings
• Liṅga (Śiva)
• Temple wealth (dravya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Religious service becomes corrupted when driven by greed; sacred wealth must not be treated as personal income.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the frame, highlighting standards for conduct around Śiva worship in a renowned tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, worship should be sincere rather than a livelihood; no specific rite is prescribed.