Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अयने विषुवे चैव व्यतीपाते दिनक्षये । अन्येषु पुण्यकालेषु दीयते दानमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

ayane viṣuve caiva vyatīpāte dinakṣaye | anyeṣu puṇyakāleṣu dīyate dānamuttamam

Translation

Aux ayana (solstices), aux viṣuva (équinoxes), au Vyatīpāta, à la fin du jour, et en d’autres moments fastes—alors doit être offert le dāna le plus excellent.

Word by Word

• अयने: at the solstice (ayana)
• अयने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• विषुवे: at the equinox
• विषुवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphasis)

• व्यतीपाते: at the vyatīpāta (astronomical conjunction)
• व्यतीपाते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यतीपात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दिन-क्षये: at the end of the day
• दिन-क्षये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक; √क्षि (धातु) + अच्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दिनस्य क्षये)

• अन्येषु: in other
• अन्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• पुण्य-कालेषु: at auspicious times
• पुण्य-कालेषु: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (पुण्यः कालः)

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• दानम्: charity/gift
• दानम्: Karma (Patient in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; दानम् इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa dialogue context; a Purāṇic narrator instructing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A river ghāṭa on a parva-day: pilgrims bathe, priests announce ayana/viṣuva, donors distribute gifts at sunset; the sky shows a solar transition motif.

Characters & Entities

• Vyatīpāta
• ayana
• viṣuva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links merit to sacred timing (kāla); charity offered at puṇya-kālas is said to yield amplified spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

While the verse is primarily about auspicious timing, it occurs within Revākhaṇḍa’s sacred landscape centered on the Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving ‘uttama dāna’—the foremost charity—on solstices, equinoxes, Vyatīpāta, day’s end, and other holy times.