Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

गोभूतिसहिरण्यादि चान्नं वस्त्रं स्वशक्तितः । दातव्यं पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ पारेश्वरवराश्रमे

Transliteration

gobhūtisahiraṇyādi cānnaṃ vastraṃ svaśaktitaḥ | dātavyaṃ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha pāreśvaravarāśrame

Translation

Kühe, Land, Gold und dergleichen—ebenso Speise und Gewänder—soll man nach eigener Kraft spenden, o Bester der Pāṇḍavas, in der erhabenen Einsiedelei des Pāreśvara.

Word by Word

• गोभूति: cows and wealth/prosperity
• गोभूति: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + भूति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमास (copulative)

• सह: together with
• सह: Sambandha (Association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सह (with) — सहार्थक (associative particle)

• हिरण्य: gold
• हिरण्य: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (समाहार/जातिवाचक)

• आदि: and the like
• आदि: Sambandha (Specification/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘आदि’ (etc., beginning with) — समुच्चयार्थ

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• वस्त्रम्: clothing
• वस्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• स्वशक्तितः: according to one’s capacity
• स्वशक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; ‘शक्ति’ + तसिल्-प्रत्यय (ततः) = शक्तितः; अव्यय (ablatival adverb): ‘according to one’s ability’

• दातव्यम्: should be given
• दातव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विधेय/आज्ञार्थ: ‘should be given’ (gerundive/passive necessity)

• पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: पाण्डवानां श्रेष्ठः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• पारेश्वरवराश्रमे: in the excellent hermitage of Pāreśvara
• पारेश्वरवराश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास (determinative); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

Speaker

Vyāsa (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāreśvara-varāśrama

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha (likely Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene riverside hermitage with a Śaiva shrine; a pilgrim offers cows, cloth, and food to ascetics while reciting a sankalpa; Narmadā-like river and forest backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Pāreśvara
• Pāreśvara-varāśrama
• Cows
• Gold

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Giving at a sanctified place, with sincerity and within one’s means, becomes a potent form of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pāreśvara-varāśrama, a revered sacred locale within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna of cows, land, gold, food, and clothing at Pāreśvara’s hermitage, proportionate to one’s capacity.