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Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

मृतस्यैव तु यद्दानं परोक्षे तत्समं स्मृतम् । स्वहस्तेन ततो देयं मृते कः कस्य दास्यति । इति मत्वा महाराज स्वदत्तं स्यान्महाफलम्

Transliteration

mṛtasyaiva tu yaddānaṃ parokṣe tatsamaṃ smṛtam | svahastena tato deyaṃ mṛte kaḥ kasya dāsyati | iti matvā mahārāja svadattaṃ syānmahāphalam

Translation

Doch eine Gabe, die für einen bereits Verstorbenen gegeben und in seiner Abwesenheit vollzogen wird, gilt nur als gleichwertig (von begrenztem Wert). Darum soll man mit eigener Hand geben; denn wenn der Tod kommt, wer wird wem geben? Dies erkennend, o großer König, trägt das selbst Gegebene große Frucht.

Word by Word
मृतस्यof a dead person
मृतस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √मृ)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular; भूतकृदन्त (PPP) used substantively “of the dead (person)”
एवindeed
एव:
Nipata (Emphasis)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात — Emphatic particle
तुbut
तु:
Nipata (Discourse particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात — Adversative/contrast particle
यत्which
यत्:
Sambandha (Relative)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular (relative)
दानम्gift/charity
दानम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootदान (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular
परोक्षेin (one's) absence
परोक्षे:
Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootपरोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Locative singular; “in absence/indirectly”
तत्that
तत्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular
समम्equal
समम्:
Karta-predicative (Predicate adjective)
TypeAdjective
Rootसम (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular
स्मृतम्is regarded
स्मृतम्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√स्मृ (धातु) + स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (PPP) — “is considered/remembered” (impersonal passive sense)
स्वहस्तेनwith one's own hand
स्वहस्तेन:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootस्व + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन — Instrumental singular; तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य हस्तः)
ततःtherefore
ततः:
Hetu/Anantarya (Reason/sequence)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे — Ablatival adverb “therefore/then”
देयम्should be given
देयम्:
Kriya (Obligation/विधि)
TypeAdjective
Root√दा (धातु) + देय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विधेयार्थक-कर्तव्यता (gerundive) — “to be given/should be given”
मृतेwhen dead
मृते:
Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootमृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √मृ)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Locative singular; “when (one is) dead”
कःwho
कः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular (interrogative)
कस्यto whom/of whom
कस्य:
Sampradana/Sambandha (Recipient relation)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular (interrogative)
दास्यतिwill give
दास्यति:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√दा (धातु)
Formलृट् (भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् — Simple future, 3rd person singular
इतिthus
इति:
Vacana-suchaka (Quotation marker)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; उद्धरणसूचक — Quotative particle
मत्वाhaving considered
मत्वा:
Purvakala (Prior action)
TypeIndeclinable
Root√मन् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
Formक्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive) — Having thought/considered
महाराजO great king
महाराज:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootमहा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Vocative singular; कर्मधारय (महान् राजा)
स्वदत्तम्one's own gift (given personally)
स्वदत्तम्:
Karta/karma (Topic/that which is given)
TypeNoun
Rootस्व + दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दा)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular; तत्पुरुष (स्वेन दत्तम् = given by oneself)
स्यात्would be
स्यात्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√अस् (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् — Optative, 3rd person singular
महाफलम्great fruit/reward
महाफलम्:
Karta-predicative (Predicate noun)
TypeNoun
Rootमहा + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular; कर्मधारय (महद् फलम्)
Speaker

Narratorial/ritual-instruction voice addressing a king (mahārāja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa dāna-mahātmya (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahārāja / mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An elder donor giving with his own hands while time (as a shadow) approaches; in the background, a funeral scene shows the limitation of posthumous gifts; the foreground radiates merit from direct giving.

Characters & Entities
M
Mahārāja (king)

FAQs

Do dharma now: personal, intentional giving while alive is exalted, whereas delayed or proxy charity is portrayed as spiritually weaker.

No single site is named; the verse is a dharma-teaching within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Vaitaraṇī-dāna context.

Give with one’s own hand (svahasta) while alive; do not postpone charity to a time when one cannot act.

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