Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

गां विक्रीणाति चेद्देवि ब्राह्मणो ज्ञानदुर्बलः । नासौ प्रशस्यते पात्रं ब्राह्मणो नैव स स्मृतः

Transliteration

gāṃ vikrīṇāti ceddevi brāhmaṇo jñānadurbalaḥ | nāsau praśasyate pātraṃ brāhmaṇo naiva sa smṛtaḥ

Translation

Ôi Devī, nếu một Bà-la-môn—kẻ yếu kém trong tri kiến chân thật—lại đem bò đi bán, thì người ấy không được tán dương là bậc xứng đáng thọ nhận (pātra); thật vậy, cũng chẳng được xem là Bà-la-môn theo đúng nghĩa.

Word by Word

• gām: a cow
• gām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vikrīṇāti: sells
• vikrīṇāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + krī (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-निपात (conditional particle: if)

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• jñānadurbalaḥ: weak in knowledge
• jñānadurbalaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna + durbala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ज्ञानस्य दुर्बलः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (weak in knowledge)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation)

• asau: that person
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• praśasyate: is praised/approved
• praśasyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + śaṃs (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: is praised/approved)

• pātram: a worthy recipient (fit vessel)
• pātram: Karma (कर्म)/Pradhāna (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-उपपत्ति (apposition)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (restrictive/emphatic particle)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• smṛtaḥ: is considered/called
• smṛtaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)/Pradhāna (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛta (कृदन्त; √smṛ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (called/considered) — (कर्मणि/विधेय)

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a brāhmaṇa with downcast gaze attempts to sell a cow in a market-like setting; a wise elder gestures in admonition; the tīrtha backdrop reminds that pilgrimage requires ethical purity.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Brāhmaṇa
• Go (cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred wealth like the cow should be protected, not commodified; dharma is measured by conduct and discernment, not merely by status.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, linking ethical dāna-dharma to the sanctity of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A normative rule is implied: avoid selling cows; only those aligned with dharma are suitable recipients in acts of charity.