Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

द्रव्यं पृथिव्यां परमं सुवर्णं हृष्यंति देवा यदि दीयते ततः । सूर्योपि तस्मै रुचिरं विमानं ददाति तावद्भ्रमतेऽत्र यावत्

Transliteration

dravyaṃ pṛthivyāṃ paramaṃ suvarṇaṃ hṛṣyaṃti devā yadi dīyate tataḥ | sūryopi tasmai ruciraṃ vimānaṃ dadāti tāvadbhramate'tra yāvat

Translation

Gold ist der höchste Reichtum auf Erden; wird es gespendet, freuen sich die Götter. Selbst Sūrya verleiht dem Geber einen herrlichen Himmelswagen, in dem er umherzieht, solange dieses Verdienst währt.

Word by Word

• dravyaṃ: wealth; substance
• dravyaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dravya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular)

• pṛthivyām: on earth
• pṛthivyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

• paramam: supreme; best
• paramam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; adjective)

• suvarṇam: gold
• suvarṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• hṛṣyanti: rejoice
• hṛṣyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Plural)

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/शर्त-निबन्धन अव्यय (conditional particle)

• dīyate: is given
• dīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present Indicative Passive, 3rd person, Singular)

• tataḥ: thereupon; therefore
• tataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/हेतु-अर्थे (indeclinable; 'thereupon/from that/therefore')

• sūryaḥ: the Sun (god)
• sūryaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (emphatic/inclusive particle)

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Dative, Singular; pronoun)

• ruciram: beautiful
• ruciram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rucira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; adjective)

• vimānam: celestial chariot; aerial car
• vimānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vimāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• dadāti: gives
• dadāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present Indicative, Active, 3rd person, Singular)

• tāvat: so long
• tāvat: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-अर्थे (indeclinable; 'so long/that much')

• bhramate: wanders; roams
• bhramate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present Indicative, Middle, 3rd person, Singular)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धे (correlative indeclinable: 'as long as')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor offers gleaming gold to a brāhmaṇa; devas above show joy; Sūrya appears with a radiant chariot, granting a splendid vimāna that shines until the merit wanes.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Devāḥ (gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna transforms wealth into lasting merit; giving what is most valued becomes a cause for divine favor and luminous posthumous reward.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra, as part of its māhātmya describing dāna-phala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Suvarṇa-dāna (donation of gold), praised as highly meritorious.