Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

काकिणीं चैव यो दद्याद्ब्राह्मणे वेदपारगे । तेन दानफलं सर्वं कुरुक्षेत्रादिकं च यत्

Transliteration

kākiṇīṃ caiva yo dadyādbrāhmaṇe vedapārage | tena dānaphalaṃ sarvaṃ kurukṣetrādikaṃ ca yat

Translation

Et quiconque offre ne fût-ce qu’une pièce de kākiṇī à un brāhmane accompli dans les Veda, obtient par là le fruit total du don, y compris les mérites de Kurukṣetra et d’autres hauts lieux sacrés.

Word by Word

• काकिणीम्: a kākiṇī coin
• काकिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काकिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

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

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणे: to a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• वेदपारगे: versed in the Veda
• वेदपारगे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद + पारग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘वेदस्य पारगः’); विशेषणम् (ब्राह्मणे)

• तेन: by that (act)/by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• दानफलम्: the fruit of giving
• दानफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st)/द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘दानस्य फलम्’)

• सर्वम्: all/entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st)/द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दानफलम्)

• कुरुक्षेत्रादिकम्: beginning with Kurukṣetra (etc.)
• कुरुक्षेत्रादिकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुरुक्षेत्र + आदिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st)/द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष/समाहारार्थ (‘कुरुक्षेत्रम् आदिः यस्य तत्’ = ‘beginning with Kurukṣetra’); विशेषणम् (यत्)

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

• यत्: whatever (there is)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st)/द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Śiva (as narrator of the māhātmya) to the king (listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kurukṣetra (as comparator)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble donor places a tiny coin (kākiṇī) into the palm of a serene Veda-reciting brāhmaṇa; in the background, symbolic vistas of Kurukṣetra and other tīrthas appear as faint, blessing panoramas.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Veda
• Kurukṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even small charity, when given rightly (to a worthy recipient), yields vast merit—dharma is measured by sincerity and propriety, not size.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kurukṣetra is cited as a benchmark of merit; the chapter itself continues to glorify the Revā-region tīrtha (Liṅgeśvara/Luṅkeśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna—giving even a small coin (kākiṇī) to a Veda-master Brāhmaṇa.