Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तत्र स्थाने ददुस्तेषां भूमिदानमनुत्तमम् । यावच्चन्द्रश्च सूर्यश्च यावत्तिष्ठति मेदिनी

Transliteration

tatra sthāne dadusteṣāṃ bhūmidānamanuttamam | yāvaccandraśca sūryaśca yāvattiṣṭhati medinī

Translation

En ce lieu même, ils leur accordèrent l’incomparable don de la terre, pour durer tant que la lune et le soleil brillent, tant que la terre subsiste.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adverbial (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय; 'there'

• स्थाने: in the place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• ददुः: they gave
• ददुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; 'they gave'

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; 'of them'

• भूमिदानम्: gift of land
• भूमिदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूमेः दानम्)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भूमिदानम् इति विशेषण

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker (कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत् सम्बन्धे 'as long as'

• चन्द्रः: the moon
• चन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; 'and'

• सूर्यः: the sun
• सूर्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker (कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; 'as long as'

• तिष्ठति: remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 'stands/remains'

• मेदिनी: the earth
• मेदिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) region (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal land-gift ceremony: donors pour water (udaka-dāna) into the recipient’s hands; a boundary map or symbolic clod of earth is presented; witnesses stand with staffs; the sun and moon are depicted above to signify perpetuity.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūmidāna (land-gift)
• Candra
• Sūrya
• Medinī (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest charity sustains dharma across generations; enduring gifts like land-grants are praised as long-lasting merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to an endowment made ‘in that place’ within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative, without naming a specific tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhūmi-dāna (donation of land), framed as a lasting endowment ‘as long as sun and moon endure’.