Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

ततस्तस्यां समारुह्य स्वशक्त्या यत्समाहृतम् । दानार्थं पूर्वमायोज्यं शिक्येन्यस्मिन्नरोत्तम

Transliteration

tatastasyāṃ samāruhya svaśaktyā yatsamāhṛtam | dānārthaṃ pūrvamāyojyaṃ śikyenyasminnarottama

Translation

Dann, indem man jene Waage besteigt, soll alles, was nach eigener Kraft zusammengetragen wurde, zuerst zum Zwecke der Gabe in der hängenden Schlinge geordnet werden—o Bester der Menschen—auf jener Waage.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla/Anantarya (Sequence/अनन्तर्य)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त/क्रमवाचक) — ‘then/from there’

• तस्याम्: in/onto her (that)
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• समारुह्य: having mounted
• समारुह्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-रुह् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावरूप कृदन्त (gerund) — ‘having mounted’

• स्वशक्त्या: by one’s own power
• स्वशक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• यत्: whatever/that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — relative pronoun; here with समाहृतम् (that which was gathered)

• समाहृतम्: collected
• समाहृतम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-हृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘collected/brought together’

• दानार्थम्: for donation
• दानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषार्थे), अव्ययभावे प्रयुक्तम् — ‘for the purpose of giving’

• पूर्वम्: first
• पूर्वम्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — ‘first/beforehand’

• आयोज्यम्: to be arranged
• आयोज्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-युज् (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/भाव्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘to be arranged/fastened’

• शिक्ये: in the sling/bag
• शिक्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — Locative singular

• अन्यस्मिन्: in another (one)
• अन्यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — Locative singular; (शिक्ये अन्यस्मिन्)

• नर-उत्तम: O best of men
• नर-उत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — Vocative singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; instructional address “narottama”)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan / narottama addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim/king is guided to mount a suspended balance-platform; attendants place prepared gifts into a sling (śikya) as part of a tīrtha rite near water.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Tulā (scale)
• Dāna
• Śikya (sling)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True charity is proportional and sincere—giving ‘according to one’s capacity’ is itself dharmic excellence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is procedural within the tīrtha-māhātmya chapter; it does not specify the site in the provided excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mounting the tulā and placing previously gathered donation-items into the sling to begin the tulādāna offering sequence.