Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

कात्यायन उवाच । दानस्य तपसो वापि भगवन्किं च दुष्करम् । किं वा महत्फलं प्रेत्य सारस्वत ब्रवीहि तत्

Transliteration

kātyāyana uvāca | dānasya tapaso vāpi bhagavankiṃ ca duṣkaram | kiṃ vā mahatphalaṃ pretya sārasvata bravīhi tat

Translation

Kātyāyana sprach: „O Ehrwürdiger, was ist zwischen Gabe (dāna) und Askese (tapas) wahrhaft schwer zu vollbringen? Und was bringt nach dem Tod die größte Frucht? O Sārasvata, verkünde mir das.“

Word by Word

• कात्यायनः: Kātyāyana
• कात्यायनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कात्यायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st); एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दानस्य: of giving / of charity
• दानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); एकवचन

• तपसः: of austerity
• तपसः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle: or)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• भगवन्: O venerable one
• भगवन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Coordination/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• दुष्करम्: difficult
• दुष्करम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; उपसर्ग-निषेध (hard to do)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक

• महत्-फलम्: great fruit/result
• महत्-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् + फल (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महत् फलम्)

• प्रेत्य: after death / having departed
• प्रेत्य: Sambandha (Temporal/Concomitant action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); 'having gone (to the next world)'

• सारस्वत: O Sārasvata
• सारस्वत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन

• ब्रवीहि: tell
• ब्रवीहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् लकार (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन

Speaker

Kātyāyana

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kātyāyana, hands folded, asks Sārasvata seated with a manuscript and water-pot; behind them symbolic scales weigh ‘dāna’ and ‘tapas’; a faint vision of afterlife paths (svarga/mokṣa) appears above.

Characters & Entities

• Kātyāyana
• Sārasvata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames a dharmic inquiry: which practice—charity or austerity—is harder, and which brings the highest posthumous merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal question within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription is given; the verse introduces evaluation of dāna (charitable giving) and tapas (austerity).