Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 148

Devanagari script

दानं ददौ तानुद्दिश्य किंचिच्छक्त्यनुरूपतः । तेन वाहकृताद्दोषान्मुक्तो भवति मानवः

Transliteration

dānaṃ dadau tānuddiśya kiṃcicchaktyanurūpataḥ | tena vāhakṛtāddoṣānmukto bhavati mānavaḥ

Translation

Il fit un don (dāna) en pensant à eux, selon la mesure de ses moyens. Par cela, l’homme est délivré des fautes contractées par l’usage des montures et des véhicules.

Word by Word

• दानम्: a gift; charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तान्: those (them)
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कर्म (उद्दिश्य इत्यस्य)

• उद्दिश्य: intending; addressing
• उद्दिश्य: Kriya (Purpose/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्दिश् (कृदन्त; उद् + √दिश् धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• किंचित्: a little
• किंचित्: Sambandha (Quantifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक अव्यय (indeclinable quantifier)

• शक्त्यनुरूपतः: according to (his) capacity
• शक्त्यनुरूपतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शक्ति + अनुरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) = -तः; ‘शक्त्यनुरूप’ इत्यस्य प्रकारवाचक

• तेन: thereby; by that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/हेतु

• वाहकृतात्: done by the mount/vehicle
• वाहकृतात्: Apadana (Source/अपा दान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाह + कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषण (दोषात् इति)

• दोषात्: from the fault
• दोषात्: Apadana (Source/अपा दान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान

• मुक्तः: freed
• मुक्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्त (कृदन्त; √मुच् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विधेय-विशेषण

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मानवः: a man
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; dharma instruction tied to tīrtha travel)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After bathing, the pilgrim/king distributes gifts—coins, cloth, food, fodder—explicitly for the welfare of the animals/mounts; recipients include mahouts, grooms, and the needy on the riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Dāna
• Doṣa (fault)
• Vāha/Vāhana (mount/transport)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage merit is safeguarded by ethical restitution—charity offered for beings affected by one’s journey removes accrued faults.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā tīrtha culture in the Revā Khaṇḍa, where travel to sacred banks is common and regulated by dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charity) dedicated to those involved/impacted (e.g., mounts, attendants), performed according to one’s means.