Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

न षोडशांशं यत्नेन लब्धार्थं यदि यच्छति । पंचमांशमथो वापि दद्यात्तत्र द्विजातिषु

Transliteration

na ṣoḍaśāṃśaṃ yatnena labdhārthaṃ yadi yacchati | paṃcamāṃśamatho vāpi dadyāttatra dvijātiṣu

Translation

Wenn einer nicht einmal den sechzehnten Teil des durch Mühe erworbenen Besitzes darbringt, so soll er dort wenigstens den fünften Teil geben, unter den Dvija, den Zweimalgeborenen.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निषेध-अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• षोडशांशम्: a sixteenth share
• षोडशांशम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडश (संख्या) + अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्नेन: with effort
• यत्नेन: Karana (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (with effort)

• लब्धार्थम्: obtained wealth
• लब्धार्थम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लब्ध (√लभ् + क्त) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: लब्धः अर्थः यस्य/लब्धः अर्थः (obtained wealth); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'wealth obtained' (object of यच्छति)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Conditional)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (if)

• यच्छति: gives
• यच्छति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; (he gives)

• पञ्चमांशम्: a fifth share
• पञ्चमांशम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चम (क्रम/संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: पञ्चमः अंशः; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (a fifth share)

• अथो: then; otherwise
• अथो: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय) + उ (निपात)
• Form: निपातसमुदाय; विकल्प/अनन्तरार्थे (then/otherwise)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Injunctive/Prescription)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (he should give)

• तत्र: there; in that case
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Context)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there/in that matter)

• द्विजातिषु: among the twice-born
• द्विजातिषु: Adhikarana (Location/Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन (among the twice-born)

Speaker

Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa measures out coins/grain in fractional portions before offering to dvijas; the scene highlights careful accounting as a sacred act, not mere commerce.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa Kṣetra
• Dvijāti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

At a tīrtha, charity should be generous and proportionate to one’s gains; giving sustains dharma and multiplies merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is framed within Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s tīrtha-mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A guideline for dāna: offer at least a fraction of one’s earnings—ideally a sixteenth, or even a fifth—especially to dvijātis.