Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अन्नं च दापयेत्तत्र भक्त्या वस्त्रं च भारत । गां वृषं मेदिनीं दद्याच्छत्रं शस्तं नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

annaṃ ca dāpayettatra bhaktyā vastraṃ ca bhārata | gāṃ vṛṣaṃ medinīṃ dadyācchatraṃ śastaṃ nṛpottama

Translation

Dort soll er in Hingabe auch Speise und Gewänder austeilen, o Bhārata. Er gebe eine Kuh, einen Stier, Land und einen vortrefflichen Schirm, o bester der Könige.

Word by Word

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• dāpayet: should have (it) given / should cause to be given
• dāpayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) [णिच् causative: दापयति]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘cause to give’)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• vastram: cloth/garment
• vastram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• gām: a cow
• gām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• vṛṣam: a bull
• vṛṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• medinīm: the earth/land
• medinīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: medinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• chatram: umbrella
• chatram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chatra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• śastam: excellent/praised
• śastam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• nṛpa-uttama: O best of kings
• nṛpa-uttama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata / nṛpottama (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverside charity pavilion: steaming pots of food served to pilgrims and brāhmaṇas; folded garments stacked; a cow and bull adorned with garlands; a deed-scroll symbolizing land-gift; a white umbrella presented ceremonially.

Characters & Entities

• Dāna (charity)
• Go-dāna (cow gift)
• Vṛṣa (bull)
• Medinī (land)
• Chatradāna (umbrella gift)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional giving—especially life-supporting gifts like food, clothing, cattle, and land—magnifies dharma and ancestral merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) region is the implied sacred setting where such dānas are extolled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dāna: food, garments, cow, bull, land, and an excellent umbrella, offered with bhakti.