Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

उद्धृत्य पञ्चमृत्पिंडान्स्नायात्परजलाशये । श्रद्धया पात्रमासाद्य यत्किंचिद्दीयते वसु

Transliteration

uddhṛtya pañcamṛtpiṃḍānsnāyātparajalāśaye | śraddhayā pātramāsādya yatkiṃciddīyate vasu

Translation

بعد أن يرفع خمس كُتَلٍ من التراب (للتطهير الطقسي)، فليغتسل في غديرٍ آخر؛ ثم ليتقدّم بإيمان إلى مستحقٍّ للقبول، فأيّ مالٍ يُعطى يصير صدقةً ذاتَ ثوابٍ حقّ.

Word by Word

• उद्धृत्य: having taken out
• उद्धृत्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-√हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — having taken out/collected

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; विशेषणम् — numeral ‘five’ (used with following noun)

• मृत्-पिण्डान्: lumps of clay
• मृत्-पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural; समासः: मृत्पिण्ड = मृदः पिण्डः (lump of clay)

• स्नायात्: should bathe
• स्नायात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — should bathe

• पर-जलाशये: in another’s pond/reservoir
• पर-जलाशये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + जलाशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular; समासः: परजलाशय = परस्य जलाशयः (another’s reservoir)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• पात्रम्: a worthy recipient/vessel
• पात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• आसाद्य: having approached
• आसाद्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — having approached/obtained

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — relative pronoun used correlatively with ‘तत्’ implied

• किंचित्: anything (some)
• किंचित्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — indefinite pronoun ‘something/anything’

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (Passive) — is given

• वसु: wealth/gift
• वसु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘wealth’ (object of giving, understood)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from instructional dharma context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Para-jalāśaya (another reservoir) as ritual purifier (generic)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor at a water-reservoir: collecting five small lumps of clean earth, bathing, then approaching a seated brāhmaṇa/ascetic recipient with folded hands to offer a modest gift.

Characters & Entities

• Pātra (worthy recipient)
• Śraddhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity becomes spiritually potent when joined with purity of conduct and śraddhā, and when offered to a worthy recipient.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific tīrtha is not named; the verse assumes a sacred landscape with water bodies suitable for purifying snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ritual bathing (snāna) after taking five lumps of earth, followed by dāna to a qualified pātra with śraddhā.