Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

महोदयं महानन्ददायकं च द्विजन्मनाम् । प्रतिग्रहप्रसक्तानां विषयासक्तचेतसाम् । तेषामपि ददेन्मुक्तिं तेन ख्यातं महोदयम्

Transliteration

mahodayaṃ mahānandadāyakaṃ ca dvijanmanām | pratigrahaprasaktānāṃ viṣayāsaktacetasām | teṣāmapi dadenmuktiṃ tena khyātaṃ mahodayam

Translation

مَهودايا يهب فرحًا عظيمًا للمرّتين مولودين. وحتى للمنهمكين في قبول العطايا، الملتصقة قلوبهم بموضوعات الحسّ، يمنح الخلاص؛ ولذا اشتهر باسم «مَهودايا»—موضع الارتقاء العظيم.

Word by Word

• महोदयम्: Mahodaya (the sacred place/auspiciousness)
• महोदयम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + उदय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — कर्मधारयः (‘great’ + ‘rise/auspiciousness’), here name of tīrtha

• महानन्ददायकम्: giver of great joy
• महानन्ददायकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महानन्द + दायक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘giver of great bliss’), qualifying महोदयम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय (conjunction)

• द्विजन्मनाम्: of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजन्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — द्विगु-समासः (‘twice-born’), genitive plural ‘of the twice-born’

• प्रतिग्रहप्रसक्तानाम्: of those addicted to receiving gifts
• प्रतिग्रहप्रसक्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतिग्रह + प्रसक्त (सज्-धातु, क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — ‘of those attached to accepting gifts’ (genitive plural)

• विषयासक्तचेतसाम्: whose minds are attached to sense-objects
• विषयासक्तचेतसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषय + आसक्त + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (‘mind attached to objects’), qualifying the same group

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — ‘of them’

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अवधान/समुच्चय (also/even)

• ददेत्: should grant
• ददेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘should give/bestow’

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘liberation’

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — ‘therefore/by that’

• ख्यातम्: is renowned/called
• ख्यातम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (‘renowned/called’)

• महोदयम्: Mahodaya
• महोदयम्: Karman/Pratijna (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + उदय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — predicate/apposition with ख्यातम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahodaya

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahodaya depicted as a radiant tīrtha where even burdened priests and householders—shown with heavy gift-bundles and distracted gazes—arrive, bathe, and emerge transformed: faces serene, hands in prayer; a luminous upward movement motif (udaya) suggests liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Mahodaya
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s grace is portrayed as exceeding personal weakness: sincere approach to Mahodaya can transform attachment into liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahodaya tīrtha in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, undertaking Mahodaya’s tīrtha-practice (especially snāna and related rites) as a means toward purification and mokṣa.