Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

एकादश्यां शनेर्वारे दानं देयं द्विजन्मने । प्रदेयं बालवृद्धेभ्यो मम रामस्य शासनात्

Transliteration

ekādaśyāṃ śanervāre dānaṃ deyaṃ dvijanmane | pradeyaṃ bālavṛddhebhyo mama rāmasya śāsanāt

Translation

Am elften Mondtag (Ekādaśī), wenn er auf einen Samstag fällt, soll dem Dvija, dem Zweimalgeborenen, Almosen gegeben werden. Es sei auch Kindern und Greisen zu geben — auf Geheiß von mir, Rāma.

Word by Word

• ekādaśyām: on the eleventh (lunar day)
• ekādaśyām: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कालवाचक-सप्तमी (locative of time)

• śanervāre: on Saturday
• śanervāre: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śani + vāra (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śaneḥ vāraḥ)

• dānam: a gift, charity
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• deyam: to be given, should be given
• deyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धा॒तु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → deya (कृदन्त)
• Form: भाव्य/विधेय (gerundive/कर्तव्यता), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; दानं विशेषणम्

• dvijanmane: to the twice-born (Brahmin)
• dvijanmane: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvijanman (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि ‘द्वि जन्म यस्य’ (ब्राह्मणः)

• pradeyam: to be given (forth)
• pradeyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + dā (धा॒तु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → pradeya (कृदन्त)
• Form: भाव्य/विधेय (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (दानं) पुनरुक्त-विशेषणम्

• bālavṛddhebhyaḥ: to children and the elderly
• bālavṛddhebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla + vṛddha (प्रातिपदिक; समाहार-द्वन्द्व)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (5th/पञ्चमी or 4th/चतुर्थी), बहुवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी-बहुवचन (recipient) अधिकयुक्तम्

• mama: of me, my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• rāmasya: of Rama
• rāmasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• śāsanāt: from/according to the command
• śāsanāt: Apādāna/Hetu (Source/Cause/अपादान-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतौ पञ्चमी (ablative of cause/source)

Speaker

Rāma (implied by ‘mama rāmasya śāsanāt’—the ordinance of Rāma)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharma-king (Rāma) proclaims an ordinance: on ekādaśī-Śanivāra, gifts are distributed—dvijas receive respectful offerings; children and elders are fed and clothed.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Ekādaśī
• Saturday (Śanivāra)
• Brahmin (dvija)
• children
• elderly

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is expressed through timely charity and compassionate support of the vulnerable—especially on sacred calendrical junctions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a dharma-injunction within Dharmāraṇya Māhātmya; it does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give dāna on Ekādaśī that falls on Saturday, specifically to a dvija, and also to children and the elderly.