Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

सर्वस्यापि हि दानस्य संख्यास्तीह नराधिप । चन्द्रसूर्योपरागे च दानसंख्या न विद्यते

Transliteration

sarvasyāpi hi dānasya saṃkhyāstīha narādhipa | candrasūryoparāge ca dānasaṃkhyā na vidyate

Translation

Pour toute forme de don, il existe en ce monde une mesure de fruit, ô roi des hommes ; mais lors des éclipses de la lune et du soleil, la mesure du fruit du don n’est pas connaissable.

Word by Word

• sarvasya: of all
• sarvasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सार्वनामिक-विशेषण

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-निपात (particle: 'even/also')

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु/निश्चयार्थक निपात (particle: 'indeed/for')

• dānasya: of donation
• dānasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• saṃkhyā: number/count
• saṃkhyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• asti: exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• iha: here
• iha: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'here/in this matter')

• narādhipa: O king
• narādhipa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः)

• candra-sūrya-uparāge: at the lunar/solar eclipse
• candra-sūrya-uparāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक) + sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + uparāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद (चन्द्रसूर्ययोः) + तत्पुरुष (उपरागे)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• dāna-saṃkhyā: the count of donations
• dāna-saṃkhyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दानस्य संख्या)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निपात/अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• vidyate: is found/exists
• vidyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोग (exists/is found)

Speaker

Narrator addressing the King (explicit: narādhipa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Grahaṇa-parva (universal) within Revā-khaṇḍa framing

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a king listens to a divine/saintly teacher pointing to an eclipse in the sky; below, various charities are shown with ‘measured’ scales, while eclipse-time charity is shown as overflowing beyond any scale.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Moon)
• Sūrya (Sun)
• uparāga (eclipse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Eclipse-time giving transcends ordinary calculation, indicating a uniquely potent spiritual window.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa milieu; the verse’s emphasis is on sacred time rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Engage in dāna during lunar or solar eclipses, when the merit is declared immeasurable.