Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पृथ्वीदानफलं तत्र जायते नात्र संशयः । अनाशकं तु यः कुर्यात्तस्मिंस्तीर्थे नराधिप

Transliteration

pṛthvīdānaphalaṃ tatra jāyate nātra saṃśayaḥ | anāśakaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa

Translation

O König, dort entsteht wahrlich die Frucht der Gabe der Erde selbst; daran besteht kein Zweifel. Und wer an jener Tīrtha das Gelübde des anāśaka—strenges Fasten, Enthaltung von Nahrung—vollzieht, erlangt ebenso großes Verdienst.

Word by Word

• पृथ्वीदानफलम्: the fruit of gifting the earth (land-donation)
• पृथ्वीदानफलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुषः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb of place)

• जायते: arises/is obtained
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Negation particle)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb of place)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अनाशकम्: a fast (abstention from food)
• अनाशकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्-आशक (प्रातिपदिक; 'without eating/fasting')
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle)

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should do/undertake
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नराधिप: O king
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate narrative context of Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim observes anāśaka at the ghat—sitting in meditation with a water pot, while priests conduct simple rites; symbolic land-gift is represented by offering a small clod of earth or a deed-like palm-leaf to a priest/temple, with Agni’s flame nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Pṛthvī-dāna (land-gift)
• Anāśaka (fasting vow)
• Agni-tīrtha (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places intensify dharma: charity (especially land-gift) and austerity (fasting vows) yield extraordinary spiritual results when performed at a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha under discussion in this section—Agni-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā region).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Land-donation (pṛthvī-dāna) and the anāśaka-vrata (a strict fasting/abstinence observance) at the tīrtha.