Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

सौवर्णे घृतसंयुक्तं दीपं दद्याद्द्विजातये । पश्चात्संभोजयेद्विप्रान् स्वयं चैव विमत्सरः

Transliteration

sauvarṇe ghṛtasaṃyuktaṃ dīpaṃ dadyāddvijātaye | paścātsaṃbhojayedviprān svayaṃ caiva vimatsaraḥ

Translation

Man soll einem würdigen Dvijāti eine Lampe mit Ghee in einem goldenen Gefäß spenden. Danach, frei von Neid, speise man die Brāhmaṇas und nehme selbst in Demut daran teil.

Word by Word

• सौवर्णे: in a golden (vessel)
• सौवर्णे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; आधारवाचक (in/into a golden (vessel))

• घृतसंयुक्तम्: mixed with ghee
• घृतसंयुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (घृतेन संयुक्तम्)

• दीपम्: a lamp
• दीपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधि), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• द्विजातये: to a twice-born (Brāhmaṇa etc.)
• द्विजातये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (dative/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-visheshana (Sequence/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (afterwards)

• संभोजयेत्: should feed (cause to eat)
• संभोजयेत्: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + भुज् (धातु, causative/णिजन्त)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधि), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• विप्रान्: Brāhmaṇas
• विप्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative/कर्म), बहुवचन

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Agent emphasis/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक (reflexive adverb)

• च: and
• च: Samucchaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• विमत्सरः: free from envy
• विमत्सरः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग/निषेधार्थ) + मत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणप्रयोगः (free from envy)

Speaker

Unspecified (instructional passage within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee presents a golden lamp filled with ghee to a learned dvija; nearby, a line of brāhmaṇas is served food on leaf plates; the donor sits modestly, hands folded, waiting to eat last.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity offered with purity of intention—especially light (dīpa) and food—becomes a powerful vehicle of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha context of Revā Khaṇḍa, where such dāna is prescribed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīpa-dāna (ghee lamp in a golden vessel) and vipra-bhojana (feeding brāhmaṇas), done without envy.