Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तासां दानप्रभावेण यमः प्रीतो भवेद्ध्रुवम् । नासौ यममवाप्नोति यदि पापैः समावृतः

Transliteration

tāsāṃ dānaprabhāveṇa yamaḥ prīto bhaveddhruvam | nāsau yamamavāpnoti yadi pāpaiḥ samāvṛtaḥ

Translation

Par la puissance du don de ces bufflonnes, Yama est assurément satisfait. Même si un homme est couvert de péchés, il ne tombe pas sous l’emprise de Yama.

Word by Word

• तासाम्: of those (fem.)
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• दानप्रभावेण: by the power/effect of the gift
• दानप्रभावेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दानस्य प्रभावः)

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रीतः: pleased
• प्रीतः: Karta (Predicate complement/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रीत (प्रातिपदिक; √प्री-क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• असौ: that person
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यमम्: Yama
• यमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अवाप्नोति: attains/reaches
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-√आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• समावृतः: covered/enveloped
• समावृतः: Karta (Predicate complement/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-√वृ (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

Speaker

Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator continuing instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sinner figure shadowed by dark motifs offers a buffalo-cow in dāna; the shadow dissolves as Yama’s sternness softens, his pāśa loosening, symbolizing release from grasp.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes that sincere, potent dāna can counteract heavy sin and pacify the forces of judgment.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-khaṇḍa setting implies the Narmadā sacred landscape, but no single site is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate female buffaloes (mahiṣī-dāna), presented as a strong means for Yama-śānti even for the sinful.