Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

ततः श्रद्धानुमानाद्वा कार्या वित्तानुमानतः । अथवा षोडश शुभा विधातव्याः प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

tataḥ śraddhānumānādvā kāryā vittānumānataḥ | athavā ṣoḍaśa śubhā vidhātavyāḥ prayatnataḥ

Translation

Danach soll man entweder nach dem Maß des Glaubens oder nach dem Maß des Vermögens verfahren. Oder aber, mit ernsthaftem Bemühen, soll man sechzehn glückverheißende (Bildnisse/Gaben) nach Vorschrift anordnen.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘thereafter/from that’

• श्रद्धानुमानात्: according to the measure of faith
• श्रद्धानुमानात्: Apādāna (Source/Standard)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा + अनुमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन — ablative singular; ‘from/according to estimate of faith’

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पबोधक)

• कार्या: to be made
• कार्या: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (कृदन्त; √कृ (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण — ‘to be made’

• वित्तानुमानतः: according to one’s means
• वित्तानुमानतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वित्त + अनुमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘according to wealth-estimate’

• अथवा: or
• अथवा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पबोधक)

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषण; (प्रायः) प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे — ‘sixteen’

• शुभाः: auspicious
• शुभाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — nominative plural

• विधातव्याः: to be performed/arranged
• विधातव्याः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + √धा (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive) — ‘to be arranged/ordained’

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘with effort’

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced for Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Ayodhyā prepares a clean ritual space, arranging sixteen auspicious offerings/images on a maṇḍala, guided by a priest; the mood emphasizes measured devotion and orderly preparation.

Characters & Entities

• Śraddhā (faith)
• Vitta (means/wealth)
• Ṣoḍaśa (sixteen)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma balances devotion and practicality: faith leads, and resources guide the scale of observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is the contextual sacred site, though this verse focuses on ritual proportionality.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the rite according to faith or means, or specifically arrange sixteen auspicious components (commonly understood as a set of sixteen ritual items/images).