Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

दशपुत्रसमा कन्या दशपुत्रान्प्रवर्द्धयन् । यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यस्तल्लभ्यं कन्ययैकया

Transliteration

daśaputrasamā kanyā daśaputrānpravarddhayan | yatphalaṃ labhate martyastallabhyaṃ kanyayaikayā

Translation

Eine einzige Tochter ist zehn Söhnen gleich. Welches Verdienst ein Sterblicher durch das Aufziehen und Nähren von zehn Söhnen erlangt, eben diese Frucht wird auch durch das Aufziehen nur einer Tochter gewonnen.

Word by Word

• दश-पुत्र-समाः: equal to ten sons
• दश-पुत्र-समाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.: equal to ten sons)

• कन्या: a daughter
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• दश-पुत्रान्: ten sons
• दश-पुत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन (acc. pl.)

• प्रवर्द्धयन्: nurturing/bringing up
• प्रवर्द्धयन्: Kriya (Participial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-वृध् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त/active present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे (while nurturing)

• यत्-फलम्: whatever merit/result
• यत्-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (acc. sg.: whatever fruit/result)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (present, 3rd sg., middle)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal man
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Correlative/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशक (that)

• लभ्यम्: is obtainable
• लभ्यम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; यत् (gerundive/future passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (to be obtained)

• कन्यया: by a daughter
• कन्यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• एकया: by one (single)
• एकया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विशेषण (instr. sg.: by one)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household scene of nurturing: parents caring for a daughter—teaching, feeding, protecting—while a symbolic scale shows ‘one daughter = ten sons’ as a dharma proclamation; Nārada witnesses the teaching.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It affirms the equal-or-greater puṇya of nurturing a daughter, correcting son-centered merit ideas and upholding dharmic reverence for the feminine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a dharma-teaching within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa context rather than a direct sthala-māhātmya citation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual (dāna, snāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed; the verse emphasizes the ethical-spiritual merit (phala) of upbringing and care.