Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

उपवासे तथा श्राद्धे न खादेद्दन्तधावनम् । दन्तानां काष्ठसंगाच्च हन्ति सप्तकुलानि वै

Transliteration

upavāse tathā śrāddhe na khādeddantadhāvanam | dantānāṃ kāṣṭhasaṃgācca hanti saptakulāni vai

Translation

اُپواس کے دن اور شرادھ کے وقت دانت صاف کرنے کی لکڑی (دنت دھاون) نہ چبائے؛ کیونکہ دانتوں کا لکڑی سے لگاؤ سات نسلوں کو نقصان پہنچاتا ہے، ایسا کہا گیا ہے۔

Word by Word

• upavāse: during a fast
• upavāse: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• śrāddhe: at/in a śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

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

• khādet: should eat/chew
• khādet: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √khād (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• dantadhāvanam: tooth-cleaning (chewing/using tooth-stick)
• dantadhāvanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: danta + dhāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'dantānāṃ dhāvanam' (cleaning of teeth)

• dantānām: of the teeth
• dantānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: danta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kāṣṭhasaṃgāt: from contact with a wood-stick
• kāṣṭhasaṃgāt: Apādāna (Ablative cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭha + saṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'kāṣṭhasya saṃgaḥ' (contact/association with wood i.e., tooth-stick)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• hanti: destroys/ruins
• hanti: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• saptakulāni: seven families/lineages
• saptakulāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); numeral + noun in loose apposition

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting: performer seated facing south with piṇḍa offerings and kuśa grass; a dantakāṣṭha lies set aside, while an elder instructs ‘do not chew today’; ancestral presence suggested as subtle silhouettes; emphasis on restraint and lineage care.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Upavāsa
• Dantadhāvana
• Sapta-kula

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rites for ancestors and fasting require heightened purity and restraint in conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where śrāddha and vrata discipline are detailed as part of the kṣetra’s dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not use/chew a tooth-cleaning stick during upavāsa or śrāddha; it is declared detrimental (a severe doṣa).