Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

कुरुते पुरुषः पापं यत्किञ्चिद्वृत्तिकर्शितः । अपि गोचर्ममात्रेण भूमिदानेन शुद्ध्यति

Transliteration

kurute puruṣaḥ pāpaṃ yatkiñcidvṛttikarśitaḥ | api gocarmamātreṇa bhūmidānena śuddhyati

Translation

روزگار کی تنگی میں آدمی کبھی کوئی گناہ کر بیٹھتا ہے؛ پھر بھی اگر وہ گائے کی کھال کے برابر بھی زمین دان کرے تو پاکیزہ ہو جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• कुरुते: does, commits
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• पुरुषः: a man, person
• पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्: whatever (which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम (indefinite: something/any)

• वृत्ति-कर्शितः: distressed by livelihood
• वृत्ति-कर्शितः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्शित (कृदन्त, √कृश्/कर्श्); वृत्ति-कर्शित (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त ‘कर्शित’ (afflicted); विशेषण (puruṣaḥ)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-शब्दः—अपि/अल्पार्थ/सम्भावनार्थ (even)

• गो-चर्म-मात्रेण: by (a plot) only as large as a cowhide
• गो-चर्म-मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक); गो-चर्म-मात्र (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; प्रमाणवाचक (by the measure of a cowhide)

• भूमि-दान-ेन: by the gift of land
• भूमि-दान-ेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक); भूमि-दान (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुद्ध्यति: is purified
• शुद्ध्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A poor householder, anxious from livelihood burdens, offers a small measured patch of land marked by a stretched cowhide; the priest blesses him; the scene shifts from shadow to light to show purification.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūmi-dāna
• Go-carma (cowhide measure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere, dharmic charity—especially land-gift—has strong purificatory power, even when one’s past includes faults born of hardship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, the verse frames righteous giving as a path of purification aligned with Prabhāsa’s holiness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhūmi-dāna is recommended as a purifying act, even if the donated land is very small (cowhide-sized).