Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

दत्त्वा दानं स्वशक्त्या च मामुद्दिश्य तथा पितॄन् । लभते वैष्णवं लोकं पितृभिः परिवारितः

Transliteration

dattvā dānaṃ svaśaktyā ca māmuddiśya tathā pitṝn | labhate vaiṣṇavaṃ lokaṃ pitṛbhiḥ parivāritaḥ

Translation

Wer nach seiner Kraft Almosen gibt und sie Mir wie auch den Pitṛs weiht, erlangt die vaiṣṇavische Welt, umgeben und begleitet von seinen Ahnen.

Word by Word

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Absolutive; prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः; धातु: दा (to give)

• दानम्: gift, donation
• दानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• स्वशक्त्या: by one's own ability
• स्वशक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व-शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक; स्व + शक्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (one's own power)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• उद्दिश्य: having dedicated (to)
• उद्दिश्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Absolutive; purpose)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्+दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: उद्+दिश् (to dedicate/aim at)

• तथा: likewise, also
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (in like manner/also)

• पितॄन्: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• लभते: attains
• लभते: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वैष्णवम्: Vaishnava, of Viṣṇu
• वैष्णवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying lokaṃ)

• लोकम्: world, realm
• लोकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• पितृभिः: by/with the ancestors
• पितृभिः: Sahakāraka (Association/with)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• परिवारितः: surrounded, accompanied
• परिवारितः: Kartṛviśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि+वृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of the doer)

Speaker

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mayatīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After ritual bathing, a devotee offers gifts to brāhmaṇas/poor, while subtle ancestral figures stand behind in blessing; a distant shrine of Kṛṣṇa suggests dedication to Him.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Pitṛs
• Vaiṣṇava-loka (Viṣṇu-loka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity offered with right intention—toward God and ancestors—becomes a bridge to divine realms and lineage upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dvārakā tīrtha of this chapter, associated with Mayasya-saras/Mayatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charity) according to one’s means, explicitly dedicated to Kṛṣṇa and the Pitṛs.