Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

यज्ञोपवीतं च ततस्तेन विप्रेण बोधितः । यं कञ्चिद्द्रक्ष्यसे लोके भ्रमन्तं भूतले द्विजम्

Transliteration

yajñopavītaṃ ca tatastena vipreṇa bodhitaḥ | yaṃ kañciddrakṣyase loke bhramantaṃ bhūtale dvijam

Translation

Rồi theo lời chỉ dạy của vị bà-la-môn ấy, cậu được trao yajnopavīta, sợi dây thiêng. “Hễ ai con gặp trong đời này—một bậc nhị sinh (dvija) đang du hành trên mặt đất—…”

Word by Word

• yajñopavītam: the sacred thread
• yajñopavītam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña + upavīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yajñasya upavītam)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निबद्ध)
• Form: काल/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (then/thereafter)

• tena: by him/with him
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• vipreṇa: by the brahmin
• vipreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• bodhitaḥ: was instructed/was informed
• bodhitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √budh (बुध्) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थः

• yam: whom
• yam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• kañcit: some/any
• kañcit: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

• drakṣyase: you will see
• drakṣyase: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद-रूप (द्रक्ष्यसि/द्रक्ष्यसे—पाठभेदानुसार)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• bhramantam: wandering
• bhramantam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (भ्रम्) + śatṛ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘dvijam’ इति विशेषणम्

• bhūtale: on the earth/ground
• bhūtale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• dvijam: a twice-born (brahmin)
• dvijam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (continuing their report to Brahmā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa instructs the newly invested boy with yajñopavīta: ‘Whomever you see roaming the earth as a dvija…’—a lesson in universal reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍa
• Bhṛgu
• dvija
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Initiation is paired with instruction: dharma is preserved through disciplined learning and respectful social-spiritual conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, where pilgrimage culture reinforces dharmic norms.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajñopavīta-dhāraṇa (wearing the sacred thread), associated with upanayana, is explicitly mentioned.