Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

सौवर्णनयनं कृत्वा मध्ये रत्नसमन्वितम् । यो ददाति द्विजातिभ्य इन्द्रतीर्थे तथोत्तमे

Transliteration

sauvarṇanayanaṃ kṛtvā madhye ratnasamanvitam | yo dadāti dvijātibhya indratīrthe tathottame

Translation

مَن صاغ عينًا من ذهبٍ وجعل في وسطها جوهرةً، ثم قدّمها عطيةً للـ«دِفِجَا» (مرّتَي الولادة) في تيرثا إندرا السامي، نال الثمرة المحمودة المذكورة بعد ذلك.

Word by Word

• सौवर्णनयनम्: a golden eye (image/eye)
• सौवर्णनयनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौवर्ण-नयन (प्रातिपदिक; सुवर्ण + नयन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (सुवर्णस्य नयनम् = golden eye/eyes)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done/made’

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (locative-usage adverb), ‘in the middle’

• रत्नसमन्वितम्: adorned with gems
• रत्नसमन्वितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत्न-समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; रत्न + समन्वित)
• Form: समन्वित (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, ‘endowed’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘रत्नैः समन्वितम्’ (instrumental sense in compound)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यः (relative pronoun)

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• द्विजातिभ्यः: to the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)
• द्विजातिभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (जाति-शब्दः), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन

• इन्द्रतीर्थे: at Indra-tīrtha
• इन्द्रतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; इन्द्र + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (इन्द्रस्य तीर्थम्)

• तथा: thus; also
• तथा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘thus/so/also’

• उत्तमे: excellent (place)
• उत्तमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थे)

Speaker

Unspecified (Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Indratīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (bhūpa) is addressed in adjacent verses; this verse continues the same didactic narration.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a sacred ford/pond of Indratīrtha, a devotee presents a crafted golden eye with a central jewel to a seated learned brāhmaṇa, with the tīrtha waters and a small shrine in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Indratīrtha
• Dvijāti (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Targeted dāna performed at a celebrated tīrtha is taught as a dharmic act that yields specific, compassionate fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indratīrtha is explicitly named and praised as ‘excellent’ (uttama).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate a gem-set golden ‘eye’ (nayana) to the twice-born at Indratīrtha.