Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः कन्यां ददाति समलंकृताम् । प्राप्नोति पुरुषो दत्त्वा यथाशक्त्या स्वलंकृताम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ kanyāṃ dadāti samalaṃkṛtām | prāpnoti puruṣo dattvā yathāśaktyā svalaṃkṛtām

Translation

وفي ذلك التيرثا بعينه، من قدّم عذراءً صدقةً (دانا) وهي مزدانة على الوجه اللائق، نال الثواب الموعود، إذ يهبها بحسب طاقته مع الحُليّ المناسبة.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• तीर्थे: in the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• कन्याम्: a maiden
• कन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• समलंकृताम्: well-adorned
• समलंकृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अलंकृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) कन्याम्

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुरुषः: the man
• पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• यथाशक्त्या: according to (one's) ability
• यथाशक्त्या: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; (यथा-शक्ति) तृतीया-एकवचन-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषणार्थ

• स्वलंकृताम्: adorned by oneself/with one's own ornaments
• स्वलंकृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + अलंकृत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) (कन्याम् understood); समासः—स्वेन अलंकृता (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Deductive (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Mārkaṇḍeya continuing the tīrtha-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśakanyā-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the ghat near the shrine, a donor respectfully offers a well-adorned maiden (or symbolic gifts for her welfare) to a worthy recipient/priest, with witnesses and ritual vessels present.

Characters & Entities

• Daśakanyā (Tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed at a holy place, in a dharmic manner and within one’s means, becomes highly meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśakanyā-tīrtha (Revā Khaṇḍa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kanyā-dāna (gifting a maiden/daughter in a formal dharmic context), with suitable adornment, according to one’s capacity.