Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

लब्ध्वा स तेषामाज्ञां तु प्रीतो दशरथात्मजः । जीर्णोद्धारेऽनंतगुणं फलमिच्छन्निलापतिः

Transliteration

labdhvā sa teṣāmājñāṃ tu prīto daśarathātmajaḥ | jīrṇoddhāre'naṃtaguṇaṃ phalamicchannilāpatiḥ

Translation

Nachdem er ihren Auftrag empfangen hatte, machte sich der erfreute Sohn Daśarathas —Herr der Erde— an die Wiederherstellung des Verfallenen, im Verlangen nach der unermesslichen, vielfach verdienstvollen Frucht dieses Werkes.

Word by Word

• लब्ध्वा: having obtained
• लब्ध्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal); ‘having obtained’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (plural)

• आज्ञाम्: command; permission
• आज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ (contrast/emphasis)

• प्रीतः: pleased
• प्रीतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृसम्बन्धी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रीत (√प्री + क्त, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used adjectivally)

• दशरथात्मजः: son of Daśaratha
• दशरथात्मजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशरथ + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• जीर्णोद्धारे: in the restoration of what is old/decayed
• जीर्णोद्धारे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीर्ण + उद्धार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• अनन्तगुणम्: of endless qualities; manifold
• अनन्तगुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• इच्छन्: desiring
• इच्छन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √इष् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इलापतिः: lord of the earth
• इलापतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इला + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya Mahāsthāna

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, delighted after receiving the deities’ command, resolves to restore the ruined sacred complex, motivated by the immeasurable fruit of jīrṇoddhāra.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Daśaratha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Restoring sacred or fallen religious structures is praised as a supremely meritorious act with immeasurable spiritual results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya sacred domain is the setting; the emphasis is on the holiness of the “mahāsthāna” being restored there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jīrṇoddhāra—repairing/renovating dilapidated sacred structures—is highlighted as a dharmic undertaking.