Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 182

Devanagari script

औद्वाहिकं ते भूपाल कथ्यतां किं ददाम्यहम् । दुष्प्रापमपि दास्यामि विद्यते मे महत्तपः

Transliteration

audvāhikaṃ te bhūpāla kathyatāṃ kiṃ dadāmyaham | duṣprāpamapi dāsyāmi vidyate me mahattapaḥ

Translation

„O König, sprich aus, welche Hochzeitsgabe du begehrst—was soll ich dir geben? Selbst schwer zu Erlangendes will ich gewähren, denn große Askese ist mein Besitz.“

Word by Word

• औद्वाहिकम्: wedding-gift
• औद्वाहिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: औद्वाहिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Dative)

• भूपाल: O king
• भूपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपाल (प्रातिपदिक: भू + पाल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भूः पालः)

• कथ्यताम्: let it be told
• कथ्यताम्: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• ददामि: I give
• ददामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दुष्प्रापम्: hard to obtain
• दुष्प्रापम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्-प्राप (प्रातिपदिक: दुष् + प्राप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (किम्/औद्वाहिकम्)

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

• दास्यामि: I will give
• दास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विद्यते: exists
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु; ‘विद्यते’ = ‘exists’)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्तरि-प्रयोग (intransitive: exists)

• मे: in me / my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Pratijñā/Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तपः)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

The sage (father of the bride; addressed to the king/son-in-law)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpāla (king; son-in-law)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After the wedding, the sage speaks to the king/son-in-law, offering an audvāhika gift; the sage’s aura suggests accumulated tapas as a luminous force behind his words.

Characters & Entities

• bhūpāla (king)
• audvāhika (wedding gift)
• tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity, when aligned with dharma, becomes a legitimate source of blessing and benevolent giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Prabhāsa region’s Vastrāpathakṣetra tradition, later tied to Revati-kuṇḍa and Raivataka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Audvāhika-dāna (wedding-gift giving) is explicitly mentioned as part of vivāha-dharma.