Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

गोदानं चाश्वदानं च तथा स्वर्णकमण्डलुम् । दद्याद्विप्राय विदुषे सर्वपापापनुत्तये

Transliteration

godānaṃ cāśvadānaṃ ca tathā svarṇakamaṇḍalum | dadyādviprāya viduṣe sarvapāpāpanuttaye

Translation

Zur Tilgung aller Sünden soll man einem gelehrten Brāhmaṇa die Gabe einer Kuh, die Gabe eines Pferdes und auch ein goldenes Kamaṇḍalu darbringen.

Word by Word

• go-dānam: gift of a cow
• go-dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• aśva-dānam: gift of a horse
• aśva-dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Discourse/Addition (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'also/likewise')

• svarṇa-kamaṇḍalum: a golden water-pot (kamaṇḍalu)
• svarṇa-kamaṇḍalum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + kamaṇḍalu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• viprāya: to a brāhmaṇa
• viprāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• viduṣe: learned/wise
• viduṣe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidvas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; विशेषण (to vipra)

• sarva-pāpa-apanuttaye: for the removal of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-apanuttaye: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + apanutti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजनार्थ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas (and implied human pilgrims)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim respectfully offers a cow, a horse, and a golden kamaṇḍalu to a serene learned brāhmaṇa seated near a tīrtha-ghāṭa; the atmosphere conveys purification and gratitude.

Characters & Entities

• Go-dāna
• Aśva-dāna
• Svaraṇa-kamaṇḍalu
• Vipra
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes dāna to the worthy as a practical means of inner purification and sin-removal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, connected to the Brahmakuṇḍa narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donations—cow, horse, and a golden kamaṇḍalu—given to a learned brāhmaṇa.