Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

फलदानं प्रशंसंति तत्र ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः । वंध्यानां च विशेषेण यतः पुत्रफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

phaladānaṃ praśaṃsaṃti tatra brāhmaṇasattamāḥ | vaṃdhyānāṃ ca viśeṣeṇa yataḥ putraphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Dort preisen die erhabensten Brāhmaṇas die Gabe von Früchten. Und besonders für kinderlose Frauen, denn dadurch kann man die Frucht der Nachkommenschaft erlangen.

Word by Word

• फलदानम्: gift of fruit
• फलदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (फलस्य दानम्) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• प्रशंसन्ति: praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: the best of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; (ब्राह्मणाः सत्तमाः) कर्मधारय

• वन्ध्यानाम्: of barren women
• वन्ध्यानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction: and)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (instrumental used adverbially); क्रियाविशेषण (especially)

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (because/from which)

• पुत्रफलम्: the fruit of a son (offspring)
• पुत्रफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (पुत्रस्य फलम्) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• लभेत्: may obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aviyukta-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the sacred precinct, brāhmaṇas praise fruit-gifting; a childless woman offers a basket of fruits with folded hands, receiving blessings; the kṣetra’s grove/shrine stands behind.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity aligned with place and tradition—here, fruit-giving—becomes spiritually potent and is praised by the learned.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Aviyukta-kṣetra māhātmya context in Arbuda Khaṇḍa (the local sacred field being praised).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Phaladāna (donation of fruits), highlighted as especially beneficial for seeking putra-phala (the blessing of offspring).