Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

असमर्थे ततो दानं न प्रदेयं कदाचन । दातारं नयतेऽधस्तादात्मानं च विशेषतः

Transliteration

asamarthe tato dānaṃ na pradeyaṃ kadācana | dātāraṃ nayate'dhastādātmānaṃ ca viśeṣataḥ

Translation

C’est pourquoi il ne faut jamais donner un don à qui n’est pas digne. Cela entraîne le donateur vers le bas, et plus encore le bénéficiaire lui-même.

Word by Word

• असमर्थे: in the incapable/unworthy (person)
• असमर्थे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-समर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक; ‘in/with an incapable (recipient)’

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Hetu/Anvaya (Reason/sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय; हेतौ/अनन्तर्ये (therefore/then)

• दानम्: gift
• दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• प्रदेयम्: should be given
• प्रदेयम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-देय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; दा धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्यय; gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘to be given’

• कदाचन: ever, at any time
• कदाचन: Kāla (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (at any time/ever)

• दातारम्: the giver
• दातारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन

• नयते: leads
• नयते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• अधस्तात्: downwards
• अधस्तात्: Gati/Deśa (Directional modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधस्तात् (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (downwards/below)

• आत्मानम्: oneself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन

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

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (especially)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate context of dialogue in Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor pauses with a gift in hand, perceiving the recipient’s unfitness; a subtle vision shows the donor being pulled downward by a weight, while the recipient falls further—illustrating asymmetrical harm.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna must be offered to a worthy recipient; otherwise it becomes a cause of spiritual decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Revā Khaṇḍa connected with Revā (Narmadā), but the verse itself teaches general dharma about dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition: do not give dāna to an asamartha/apātra recipient.