Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ददौ त्रैविद्यमुख्येभ्यः श्रद्धया परया पुनः । ताम्रपट्टस्थितं रामशासनं लोपयेत्तु यः

Transliteration

dadau traividyamukhyebhyaḥ śraddhayā parayā punaḥ | tāmrapaṭṭasthitaṃ rāmaśāsanaṃ lopayettu yaḥ

Translation

Mit höchstem Glauben schenkte er erneut den vornehmsten Brahmanen, kundig in den drei Veden. Wer aber Rāmas auf einer Kupfertafel eingravierten Erlass auslöscht oder aufhebt, lädt schwere Sünde auf sich.

Word by Word

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; धातुः—दा (to give)

• त्रैविद्य-मुख्येभ्यः: to the chief (priests) of the three Vedas
• त्रैविद्य-मुख्येभ्यः: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैविद्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया? (न) — चतुर्थीविभक्तिः (4th/Dative), बहुवचनम्; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रैविद्यस्य मुख्याः)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• परया: supreme, great
• परया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्—श्रद्धया

• पुनः: again, further
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• ताम्रपट्ट-स्थितम्: situated on a copper plate
• ताम्रपट्ट-स्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ताम्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पट्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; कृदन्तः—क्त (past participle) ‘स्थित’; समासः—सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (ताम्रपट्टे स्थितम्)

• राम-शासनम्: Rama’s edict/inscription
• राम-शासनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक) + शासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (रामस्य शासनम्)

• लोपयेत्: should erase/destroy
• लोपयेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लुप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; धातुः—लुप् (to erase/destroy) (णिच् causative sense implied: ‘cause to disappear’)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• यः: who (ever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Vyāsa/Sūta in third-person narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, calm and regal, offers gifts to learned brāhmaṇas; beside them a copper-plate charter (tāmrapaṭṭa) is displayed, symbolizing inviolable dharma; a shadowy figure suggests the taboo of effacing the inscription.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Brāhmaṇas (Traividyas)
• Tāmrapaṭṭa (copper-plate grant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed with śraddhā toward Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas is upheld as dharma, and sacred endowments must be protected, not violated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra (Dharmāraṇya sacred region) is implied as the protected holy field whose institutions are secured by Rāma’s decree.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna—donation/gifting to the foremost Traividya Brāhmaṇas—done with supreme faith.