Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तस्माच्चक्षुष्मतो विद्वान्देशे देशे परीक्षयेत् । प्रश्रान्ये मम वक्ष्यंति तेभ्यो दास्याम्यहं ततः

Transliteration

tasmāccakṣuṣmato vidvāndeśe deśe parīkṣayet | praśrānye mama vakṣyaṃti tebhyo dāsyāmyahaṃ tataḥ

Translation

لذلك ينبغي للعالِم ذي البصيرة أن يمتحن (المستحقّين) من بلد إلى بلد. والذين يجيبون عن أسئلتي—إليهم وحدهم سأعطي بعد ذلك.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन (Ablative, Singular)

• cakṣuṣmataḥ: of the one with sight (discerning)
• cakṣuṣmataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cakṣuṣmant (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण ‘vidvān’ (Genitive, Singular: of the seeing/wise)

• vidvān: a learned man
• vidvān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vid (धातु) → vidvas (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Present participle used as noun: ‘knower’, Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• deśe: in a place
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• deśe: in (every) place
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (in each place) (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• parīkṣayet: should examine
• parīkṣayet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari+īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (लिङ्-लकार), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada)

• praśrān: questions
• praśrān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Nominative, Plural: others)

• mama: to me/of me
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अस्मद्-शब्द (Genitive, Singular)

• vakṣyanti: will say
• vakṣyanti: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Simple Future, 3rd person plural)

• tebhyaḥ: to them
• tebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) (Dative, Plural)

• dāsyāmi: I will give
• dāsyāmi: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Simple Future, 1st person singular)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative, Singular)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: ततः-इत्यव्ययम् (adverb: then/thereafter)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler-scholar carries a staff and manuscript, stopping at successive āśramas; he questions sages seated under trees; only those who answer well receive gifts.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna should be guided by discernment—test and verify worthiness rather than giving blindly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; “from place to place” is used to stress careful evaluation everywhere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical rule for dāna: examine recipients and give after they demonstrate understanding through answers.