Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

दत्तं पात्रमतिक्रम्य यदपात्रे प्रतिग्रहः । तद्दत्तं गामतिक्रम्य गर्दभस्य गवाह्निकम्

Transliteration

dattaṃ pātramatikramya yadapātre pratigrahaḥ | taddattaṃ gāmatikramya gardabhasya gavāhnikam

Translation

Wenn man den würdigen Empfänger übergeht und der Unwürdige die Gabe annimmt, ist es, als ließe man die Kuh unbeachtet und fütterte den Esel mit der täglichen Ration, die der Kuh bestimmt ist.

Word by Word

• दत्तम्: given (gift)
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म-विशेषण (that which is given)

• पात्रम्: a worthy recipient/vessel
• पात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अतिक्रम्य: having bypassed/overstepped
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (that which)

• अपात्रे: in an unworthy (recipient)
• अपात्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; नञ्-निषेध (unworthy person)

• प्रतिग्रहः: acceptance (of the gift)
• प्रतिग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; निर्देशक (that)

• दत्तम्: given (gift)
• दत्तम्: Visheshya/Vidhaya (Correlative predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; (that) given

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अतिक्रम्य: having bypassed
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• गर्दभस्य: of a donkey
• गर्दभस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्दभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• गवाह्निकम्: a cow’s daily ration/portion (given to a donkey)
• गवाह्निकम्: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + आह्निक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गवाम् आह्निकम् = daily allowance/portion of cows)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pastoral moral tableau: a cow stands neglected while a donkey is being fed a measured ration; a donor looks conflicted, while a worthy brāhmaṇa stands aside, illustrating the ‘bypassing’ of the proper recipient.

Characters & Entities

• pātra
• apātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit is lost when charity ignores worthiness; misdirected giving is compared to wasting nourishment on the wrong creature.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where proper dāna is presented as a key practice for pilgrims seeking lasting punya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not bypass a pātra; avoid apātra-pratigraha (gift acceptance by the unworthy).