Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 185

Devanagari script

हिरण्यभूमिकन्याश्च धूर्वाहौ शुभलक्षणौ । सीरेण सहितौ पार्थ धान्यं द्रोणकसंख्यया

Transliteration

hiraṇyabhūmikanyāśca dhūrvāhau śubhalakṣaṇau | sīreṇa sahitau pārtha dhānyaṃ droṇakasaṃkhyayā

Translation

O Pārtha, man soll Gold, Land und sogar Jungfrauen (als Hochzeitsgabe nach Brauch) darbringen, dazu ein Paar glückverheißender, wohlgezeichneter Ochsen samt Pflug und Getreide, nach Droṇas bemessen.

Word by Word

• हिरण्यभूमिकन्याः: maidens of the golden ground (golden-earth maidens)
• हिरण्यभूमिकन्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य + भूमि + कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हिरण्यभूमेः कन्याः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• धूर्वाहौ: the two Dhūrvāhas
• धूर्वाहौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूर्वाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• शुभलक्षणौ: having auspicious marks
• शुभलक्षणौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ + लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (धूर्वाहौ इति)

• सीरेण: with a plough
• सीरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• सहितौ: accompanied (together)
• सहितौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (धूर्वाहौ इति)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• धान्यम्: grain
• धान्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• द्रोणकसंख्यया: by the count/number of droṇakas
• द्रोणकसंख्यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोणक + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्रोणकानां संख्या)

Speaker

Narrator within Revākhaṇḍa addressing Pārtha (royal listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor at a riverside tīrtha presents gold and a deed of land, then leads a well-marked pair of bullocks yoked to a plough; sacks of grain measured in droṇas are arranged before brāhmaṇas under a canopy.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha
• Hiraṇya
• Bhūmi
• Kanyā
• Dhūrvāha (bullocks)
• Sīra (plough)
• Dhānya
• Droṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity that sustains life and livelihood (land, cattle, grain) is praised as a high form of dharma when offered in sacred contexts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The dāna prescriptions occur within the Eraṇḍī-saṅgama / Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A catalog of dānas: gold, land, kanyā-dāna (as per dharma), a pair of auspicious bullocks with a plough, and grain in droṇa measures.