Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

दशपुत्रसमा कन्या दशपुत्रान्प्रवर्द्धयन् । यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यस्तल्लभ्यं कन्ययैकया

Transliteration

daśaputrasamā kanyā daśaputrānpravarddhayan | yatphalaṃ labhate martyastallabhyaṃ kanyayaikayā

Translation

ابنةٌ واحدةٌ تعدلُ عشرةَ أبناء. والثوابُ الذي ينالهُ الإنسانُ بتربيةِ عشرةِ أبناءٍ ورعايتِهم، يُنالُ بعينهِ بتربيةِ ابنةٍ واحدة.

Word by Word

• दश-पुत्र-समाः: equal to ten sons
• दश-पुत्र-समाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.: equal to ten sons)

• कन्या: a daughter
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• दश-पुत्रान्: ten sons
• दश-पुत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन (acc. pl.)

• प्रवर्द्धयन्: nurturing/bringing up
• प्रवर्द्धयन्: Kriya (Participial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-वृध् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त/active present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे (while nurturing)

• यत्-फलम्: whatever merit/result
• यत्-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (acc. sg.: whatever fruit/result)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (present, 3rd sg., middle)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal man
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Correlative/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशक (that)

• लभ्यम्: is obtainable
• लभ्यम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; यत् (gerundive/future passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (to be obtained)

• कन्यया: by a daughter
• कन्यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• एकया: by one (single)
• एकया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विशेषण (instr. sg.: by one)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household scene of nurturing: parents caring for a daughter—teaching, feeding, protecting—while a symbolic scale shows ‘one daughter = ten sons’ as a dharma proclamation; Nārada witnesses the teaching.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It affirms the equal-or-greater puṇya of nurturing a daughter, correcting son-centered merit ideas and upholding dharmic reverence for the feminine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a dharma-teaching within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa context rather than a direct sthala-māhātmya citation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual (dāna, snāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed; the verse emphasizes the ethical-spiritual merit (phala) of upbringing and care.