Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

यत्पुण्यं परमं प्रोक्तं सततं यज्ञयाजिनाम् । सत्यवादिषु यत्पुण्यं यत्पुण्यं हेमदायिनि । तत्पुण्यं लभते विप्र सहस्राब्दस्य जीविभिः

Transliteration

yatpuṇyaṃ paramaṃ proktaṃ satataṃ yajñayājinām | satyavādiṣu yatpuṇyaṃ yatpuṇyaṃ hemadāyini | tatpuṇyaṃ labhate vipra sahasrābdasya jīvibhiḥ

Translation

Welches höchste Verdienst auch immer als stets den Opfernden (Yajña-Vollziehern) zugehörig verkündet wird; welches Verdienst den Wahrhaftigen zukommt; und welches Verdienst dem zuteilwird, der Gold als Gabe spendet—eben dieses Verdienst, o Brāhmaṇa, erlangen jene, die bis zum Maß des «sahasrābda» (tausendjähriges Maß, verbunden mit den tausend Monden) leben.

Word by Word

• यत्-पुण्यम्: whatever merit
• यत्-पुण्यम्: Karma/Predicate (Contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (यत् = 'which' as qualifier); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'supreme' qualifying 'पुण्यम्'

• प्रोक्तम्: declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'said/declared'

• सततम्: always/constantly
• सततम्: Adverbial (Kriya-visheshana/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• यज्ञ-याजिनाम्: of those who perform sacrifices
• यज्ञ-याजिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + याजिन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, यज् धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; 'of the sacrificers'

• सत्य-वादिषु: among truth-speakers
• सत्य-वादिषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वादिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; 'among truth-speakers'

• यत्-पुण्यम्: whatever merit
• यत्-पुण्यम्: Karma/Predicate (Contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्-पुण्यम्: whatever merit
• यत्-पुण्यम्: Karma/Predicate (Contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हेम-दायिनि: in the giver of gold / in gold-giving
• हेम-दायिनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक) + दायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; 'in/among the giver of gold' (i.e., in the act/person of giving gold)

• तत्-पुण्यम्: that merit
• तत्-पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• सहस्र-अब्दस्य: of a thousand years
• सहस्र-अब्दस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; 'of a thousand years'

• जीविभिः: by the long-lived (persons)
• जीविभिः: Karana/Agent-association (Instrument/कर्ता-सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीविन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, जीव् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; 'by those who live' (instrumental of agent/association)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa discourse style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (Sarayū-tīrtha context implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (addressed as ‘vipra’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa listener receives the proclamation that the long vow’s merit equals that of sacrifices, truth-speaking, and gifting gold; Ayodhyā’s sacred ambience frames the teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained vow-practice is praised as equivalent to the highest merits of sacrifice, truthfulness, and great charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The merit teaching belongs to Ayodhyā Māhātmya, where Ayodhyā serves as the sacred context for such elevated puṇya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It extols the long-duration observance tied to the ‘thousand moons/thousand-year measure’ as a source of supreme merit.