Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

दीनानाथविशिष्टेभ्यो दातव्यं भूतिकाम्यया । अदत्तदाना जायंते परभाग्योपजीविनः

Transliteration

dīnānāthaviśiṣṭebhyo dātavyaṃ bhūtikāmyayā | adattadānā jāyaṃte parabhāgyopajīvinaḥ

Translation

Aus Wunsch nach Gedeihen soll man besonders den Armen und Schutzlosen geben; wer keine Gabe der Wohltätigkeit spendet, lebt schließlich von fremdem Glück abhängig.

Word by Word

• दीनानाथविशिष्टेभ्यः: to those distinguished as poor and helpless
• दीनानाथविशिष्टेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीन + अनाथ + विशिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th; 'from/than/for'), बहुवचनम्; समासः: दीनानाथैः विशिष्टाः (विशिष्ट-विशेष्यभावः)

• दातव्यम्: should be given
• दातव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्तः (gerundive: 'to be given/should be given'), नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (predicate)

• भूतिकाम्यया: with desire for prosperity
• भूतिकाम्यया: Hetu/Instrument (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूति + काम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम्; समासः: भूतेः काम्या (prosperity-desiring)

• अदत्तदानाः: those who do not give (charity)
• अदत्तदानाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + दत्त + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः: येषां दानं न दत्तम् (those who have not given charity)

• जायन्ते: are born/become
• जायन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (Plural), आत्मनेपदम्

• परभाग्योपजीविनः: dependents on others' luck/wealth
• परभाग्योपजीविनः: Samjna/Predicate noun (संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + भाग्य + उपजीविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; समासः: परस्य भाग्येन उपजीवन्ति (living on others' fortune)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor offers alms to a poor widow and an orphan near a Kāśī shrine; Lakṣmī-like prosperity is shown subtly behind the donor as a symbolic consequence. In the background, a miser later stands with an empty bowl, dependent on others.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity—especially to the helpless—is a direct cause of welfare; refusal to give creates future dependence and diminishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa framework (Vārāṇasī’s dharma-ethos), without naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charitable giving), with emphasis on recipients who are dīna (poor) and anātha (unprotected).