Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः कन्यां ददाति समलंकृताम् । प्राप्नोति पुरुषो दत्त्वा यथाशक्त्या स्वलंकृताम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ kanyāṃ dadāti samalaṃkṛtām | prāpnoti puruṣo dattvā yathāśaktyā svalaṃkṛtām

Translation

At that very tīrtha, a man who gives a maiden in dāna—duly adorned—obtains the promised reward by offering her according to his means, with proper ornaments.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• तीर्थे: in the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• कन्याम्: a maiden
• कन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• समलंकृताम्: well-adorned
• समलंकृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अलंकृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) कन्याम्

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुरुषः: the man
• पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• यथाशक्त्या: according to (one's) ability
• यथाशक्त्या: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; (यथा-शक्ति) तृतीया-एकवचन-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषणार्थ

• स्वलंकृताम्: adorned by oneself/with one's own ornaments
• स्वलंकृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + अलंकृत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) (कन्याम् understood); समासः—स्वेन अलंकृता (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Deductive (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely Mārkaṇḍeya continuing the tīrtha-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daśakanyā-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the ghat near the shrine, a donor respectfully offers a well-adorned maiden (or symbolic gifts for her welfare) to a worthy recipient/priest, with witnesses and ritual vessels present.

Characters & Entities

• Daśakanyā (Tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed at a holy place, in a dharmic manner and within one’s means, becomes highly meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daśakanyā-tīrtha (Revā Khaṇḍa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kanyā-dāna (gifting a maiden/daughter in a formal dharmic context), with suitable adornment, according to one’s capacity.