Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पृथ्वीदानफलं तत्र जायते नात्र संशयः । अनाशकं तु यः कुर्यात्तस्मिंस्तीर्थे नराधिप

Transliteration

pṛthvīdānaphalaṃ tatra jāyate nātra saṃśayaḥ | anāśakaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa

Translation

يا أيها الملك، هناك يتحقّق حقّاً ثوابُ التصدّق بالأرض نفسها، ولا شكّ في ذلك. ومن أقام في ذلك التيرثا نذرَ «أنَاشَكا»—أي الصومَ الصارم وتركَ الطعام—نال كذلك أجراً عظيماً.

Word by Word

• पृथ्वीदानफलम्: the fruit of gifting the earth (land-donation)
• पृथ्वीदानफलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुषः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb of place)

• जायते: arises/is obtained
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Negation particle)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb of place)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अनाशकम्: a fast (abstention from food)
• अनाशकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्-आशक (प्रातिपदिक; 'without eating/fasting')
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle)

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should do/undertake
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नराधिप: O king
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate narrative context of Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim observes anāśaka at the ghat—sitting in meditation with a water pot, while priests conduct simple rites; symbolic land-gift is represented by offering a small clod of earth or a deed-like palm-leaf to a priest/temple, with Agni’s flame nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Pṛthvī-dāna (land-gift)
• Anāśaka (fasting vow)
• Agni-tīrtha (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places intensify dharma: charity (especially land-gift) and austerity (fasting vows) yield extraordinary spiritual results when performed at a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha under discussion in this section—Agni-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā region).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Land-donation (pṛthvī-dāna) and the anāśaka-vrata (a strict fasting/abstinence observance) at the tīrtha.