Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

कन्यादान फलं तस्य नात्र कार्या विचारणा । क्षीरेण स्नापयेद्देवं तथा पंचामृतेन यः

Transliteration

kanyādāna phalaṃ tasya nātra kāryā vicāraṇā | kṣīreṇa snāpayeddevaṃ tathā paṃcāmṛtena yaḥ

Translation

তেওঁ কন্যাদানৰ ফল লাভ কৰে—ইয়াত কোনো বিচাৰ কৰাৰ প্ৰয়োজন নাই। যি জনে দেৱক গাখীৰে স্নান কৰায় আৰু তদ্ৰূপ পঞ্চামৃতেও স্নান কৰায়, সি সেই পুণ্য লাভ কৰে।

Word by Word

• कन्यादान: gift of a maiden (kanyādāna)
• कन्यादान: Visheshya (Head-term/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘कन्यायाः दानम्’

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘कन्यादान-फलम्’ इति समासार्थे विशेष्य

• तस्य: of that / its
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• कार्या: to be done / necessary
• कार्या: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ + यत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण—‘कर्तव्या’ (to be done)

• विचारणा: consideration/inquiry
• विचारणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• क्षीरेण: with milk
• क्षीरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus/likewise)

• पंचामृतेन: with pañcāmṛta (five-nectar mixture)
• पंचामृतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः—‘पञ्चानाम् अमृतानाम् समाहारः’ (five-nectar mixture)

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

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśa / Kumāreśvara-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a seaside Śaiva sanctum, devotees pour streams of milk and then pañcāmṛta over the liṅga of Kumāreśvara; vessels of honey, curd, ghee, sugar are arranged; priests chant while lamps flicker.

Characters & Entities

• kanyādāna
• kṣīra (milk)
• pañcāmṛta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional offerings to the deity at a famed tīrtha can confer the merit of major dharmic gifts when done with faith and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kumāreśvara-tīrtha, where such abhiṣeka is proclaimed highly meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka of the deity with milk (kṣīra) and with pañcāmṛta.