Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

पलेन दक्षिणा कार्या तदर्धार्धेन वा पुनः । शक्तितो दक्षिणायुक्तां तां धेनुं प्रतिपादयेत्

Transliteration

palena dakṣiṇā kāryā tadardhārdhena vā punaḥ | śaktito dakṣiṇāyuktāṃ tāṃ dhenuṃ pratipādayet

Translation

Als dakṣiṇā soll ein pალა gegeben werden, oder auch die Hälfte davon. Je nach Vermögen, nachdem man dakṣiṇā hinzugefügt hat, soll man jene Kuh feierlich als Gabe überreichen.

Word by Word

• पलेन: with a pala (a weight/measure)
• पलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• दक्षिणा: the sacrificial fee/gift (dakṣiṇā)
• दक्षिणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• कार्या: should be made/given
• कार्या: Vidhaya (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृत् प्रत्यय) → कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण; Gerundive (to be done) agreeing with ‘दक्षिणा’

• तदर्धार्धेन: with half of that half (i.e., a quarter)
• तदर्धार्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तद्-अर्ध-अर्ध) = तस्य अर्धस्य अर्धम्; Instrumental singular

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय; disjunctive particle

• पुनः: again; alternatively
• पुनः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति/पुनरावृत्ति-अर्थक-अव्यय; adverb

• शक्तितः: according to one’s capacity
• शक्तितः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; शक्तितः = शक्त्या अनुसारम्; adverbial (according to ability)

• दक्षिणा-युक्ताम्: endowed with the dakṣiṇā (gift)
• दक्षिणा-युक्ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; युज् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (दक्षिणया युक्ता) कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः; Accusative singular qualifying ‘धेनु’

• ताम्: that
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (pronoun)

• धेनुम्: cow
• धेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• प्रतिपादयेत्: should present/offer
• प्रतिपादयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + पद् (धातु) (णिच्) → प्रतिपादय (धातु-प्रयोग)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘should present/offer’

Speaker

Narrator/instructor voice within the māhātmya (ritual rule on dakṣiṇā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual officiant measures dakṣiṇā (weight/coins) while the donor stands beside an adorned cow; the formal act of pratipādana (handing over) is prepared with sacred vessels and kusa grass.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣiṇā
• Dhenu (cow)
• Pala (measure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is accessible at every level: offerings may be adjusted to capacity while maintaining sincerity and proper form.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, through a practical ritual prescription tied to its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give a prescribed dakṣiṇā (one pala or half) and donate the cow with dakṣiṇā according to one’s means.