Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 124

Devanagari script

एताश्चतस्रस्तिथयो युगाद्या दत्तं हुतं चाक्षयमाशु विद्यात् । युगेयुगे वर्षशतेन दानं युगादिकाले दिवसेन तत्फलम्

Transliteration

etāścatasrastithayo yugādyā dattaṃ hutaṃ cākṣayamāśu vidyāt | yugeyuge varṣaśatena dānaṃ yugādikāle divasena tatphalam

Translation

اعلم سريعًا أن هذه التيثيات الأربع هي «يوغادي»؛ فما يُعطى صدقةً أو يُقدَّم قربانًا بالنار (هوتا) فيها يصير عاجلًا غيرَ نافد. وإن عطيةً تُبذل مئةَ سنة في كل يوجا تعطي الثمرة نفسها إذا فُعلت في يوم واحد زمنَ يوغادي.

Word by Word

• etāḥ: these
• etāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• catasraḥ: four
• catasraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण

• tithayaḥ: lunar days (tithis)
• tithayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• yugādyāḥ: (known as) yuga-beginnings
• yugādyāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuga + ādi (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘युगादि’ इति विशेषण (yuga-beginning)

• dattaṃ: a gift given (charity)
• dattaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dā (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; दानकर्म (gift given)

• hutaṃ: an oblation offered (homa)
• hutaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hu (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; होमकर्म (oblation offered)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb)

• vidyāt: one should know/understand
• vidyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yuge: in (each) yuga
• yuge: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• yuge: in every yuga
• yuge: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (yuge yuge)

• varṣaśatena: by (the equivalent of) a hundred years
• varṣaśatena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa + śata (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषभावः (शतं वर्षाणाम्)

• dānaṃ: a donation
• dānaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yugādikāle: at the time of yuga-beginning
• yugādikāle: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga + ādi + kāla (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (युगादेः कालः)

• divasena: by (a single) day
• divasena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• tatphalam: that result (merit)
• tatphalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat + phala (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तस्य फलम्)

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: four marked tithis appear as luminous gateways; a single day’s dāna and homa radiate outward, outweighing a long timeline of repeated gifts across centuries and yugas.

Characters & Entities

• Yugādi
• Dāna
• Homa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time magnifies dharma: offerings made at Yugādi become inexhaustible and equal vast long-term giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No location is highlighted; the verse praises Yugādi-kāla as a supreme merit-bearing time.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dāna (charity) and huta/homa (fire-offerings) on the four Yugādi tithis for akṣaya results.