Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

एकतः सर्वदानानि दीपदानं तथैकतः । कार्तिके दीपदानस्य कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

ekataḥ sarvadānāni dīpadānaṃ tathaikataḥ | kārtike dīpadānasya kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

Auf der einen Seite stehen alle Arten von Gaben, auf der anderen die Gabe einer Lampe. Im Monat Kārttika erreicht keine andere Spende auch nur den sechzehnten Teil des Verdienstes der Lampenspende.

Word by Word

• एकतः: on one side / on the one hand
• एकतः: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb; on one side/one hand)

• सर्वदानानि: all gifts/charities
• सर्वदानानि: कर्ता (of implied ‘(सन्ति)’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-दान (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• दीपदानम्: the gift of a lamp
• दीपदानम्: कर्ता (of implied ‘(अस्ति)’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप-दान (प्रातिपदिक; दीप + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb; likewise/so)

• एकतः: on the other side / on the one hand
• एकतः: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb; on one side)

• कार्तिके: in Kārtika
• कार्तिके: अधिकरण
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• दीपदानस्य: of lamp-giving
• दीपदानस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप-दान (प्रातिपदिक; दीप + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive/6th), एकवचनम्

• कलाम्: a fraction/part
• कलाम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• न: not
• न: सम्बन्ध
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• अर्हन्ति: are worthy of / equal
• अर्हन्ति: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• षोडशीम्: a sixteenth (part)
• षोडशीम्: कर्म (standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘षोडश-भाग-परिमाण’/‘षोडशांश’ (sixteenth part)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Ghāṭa-dīpa-dāna)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāśī ghats at night in Kārttika: thousands of floating lamps on the Ganga, devotees offering rows of diyas, temple spires glowing; the scene conveys overwhelming radiance and collective devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika
• Dīpa-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Light offered in sacred time symbolizes inner awakening; hence dīpa-dāna in Kārttika is praised as supremely transformative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

While the verse is set in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, it extols Kārttika lamp-offering as a general mahātmya practice (commonly performed in Kāśī’s temples and ghāṭas).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dīpa-dāna (offering/donating lamps), especially in the month of Kārttika, as the foremost charity.