Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

किमत्र बहुनोक्तेन द्वादश्यां यत्प्रदापयेत् । न तत्र परिसंख्यानं त्रिषु लोकेषु विद्यते

Transliteration

kimatra bahunoktena dvādaśyāṃ yatpradāpayet | na tatra parisaṃkhyānaṃ triṣu lokeṣu vidyate

Translation

What need is there to say much? Whatever one causes to be given on Dvādaśī—its merit cannot be measured, even across the three worlds.

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — interrogative pronoun ‘what’

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) — indeclinable ‘here/in this matter’

• बहुना: with much (talk)
• बहुना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — instrumental singular used adverbially ‘with much’

• उक्तेन: by speaking
• उक्तेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘said’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — instrumental singular; ‘by what is said’

• द्वादश्याम्: on Dvādaśī
• द्वादश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — locative singular (on the 12th lunar day)

• यत्: what (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — relative pronoun ‘what/which’ (object of verb)

• प्रदापयेत्: should have (it) given/donated
• प्रदापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person singular optative causative (‘should cause to be given’)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — negation particle

• तत्र: there/in that
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) — indeclinable ‘there/in that (case)’

• परिसंख्यानम्: a limit/complete enumeration
• परिसंख्यानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि-संख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — neuter nominative singular

• त्रिषु: in the three
• त्रिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन — locative plural numeral adjective

• लोकेषु: worlds
• लोकेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन — locative plural

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु) (विद्=सत्तायाम्)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — 3rd person singular present (exists)

Speaker

Unclear from snippet; Purāṇic narrator giving a strong phala-śruti for dāna on Dvādaśī within Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Dvādaśī day at Prabhāsa: pilgrims distribute gifts—food, cloth, coins—to brāhmaṇas and the needy; above, a symbolic ‘three worlds’ motif indicates immeasurable merit.

Characters & Entities

• Dvādaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely charity aligned with sacred tithis multiplies merit beyond ordinary calculation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement occurs within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya context, reinforcing tīrtha-linked observances.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving charity (dāna) on Dvādaśī, emphasized as immeasurably meritorious.