Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

विद्यादानं नरो यश्च तस्या ह्यायतने सदा । करोति श्रद्धया युक्तः सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

vidyādānaṃ naro yaśca tasyā hyāyatane sadā | karoti śraddhayā yuktaḥ so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

ومن كان مقرونًا بالإيمان، يداوم في معبدها المقدّس على بذل عطية العلم، نال ثوابَ قربان الأشفاميدها (Aśvamedha).

Word by Word

• vidyā-dānam: gift of knowledge
• vidyā-dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विद्यायाः दानम्)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha-bodhaka (Conjunction/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थक (particle: indeed/for)

• āyatane: in the shrine/abode
• āyatane: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• karoti: does
• karoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śraddhayā: with faith
• śraddhayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• yuktaḥ: endowed / joined
• yuktaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमापाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuj (धातु) + kta (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• aśvamedha-phalam: fruit of the Aśvamedha
• aśvamedha-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अश्वमेधस्य फलम्)

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (phalaśruti within Sarasvatī tīrtha māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-āyatana

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee presents manuscripts, writing tools, and a donation to a teacher within Sarasvatī’s temple precinct; a symbolic horse-sacrifice altar appears faintly as a metaphor, indicating Aśvamedha-equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting knowledge as a sacred charity is ranked among the highest merits, comparable to grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī’s āyatana (her sanctified abode) within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vidyā-dāna—charitable support of learning/education—performed with śraddhā at Sarasvatī’s abode.