Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

उद्धृत्य पञ्चमृत्पिंडान्स्नायात्परजलाशये । श्रद्धया पात्रमासाद्य यत्किंचिद्दीयते वसु

Transliteration

uddhṛtya pañcamṛtpiṃḍānsnāyātparajalāśaye | śraddhayā pātramāsādya yatkiṃciddīyate vasu

Translation

Après avoir pris cinq mottes de terre (pour la purification rituelle), qu’on se baigne dans un autre réservoir d’eau ; puis, s’approchant avec foi d’un récipiendaire digne, toute richesse offerte devient un dāna véritablement méritoire.

Word by Word

• उद्धृत्य: having taken out
• उद्धृत्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उद्-√हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — having taken out/collected

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; विशेषणम् — numeral ‘five’ (used with following noun)

• मृत्-पिण्डान्: lumps of clay
• मृत्-पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative plural; समासः: मृत्पिण्ड = मृदः पिण्डः (lump of clay)

• स्नायात्: should bathe
• स्नायात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — should bathe

• पर-जलाशये: in another’s pond/reservoir
• पर-जलाशये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + जलाशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular; समासः: परजलाशय = परस्य जलाशयः (another’s reservoir)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• पात्रम्: a worthy recipient/vessel
• पात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• आसाद्य: having approached
• आसाद्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — having approached/obtained

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — relative pronoun used correlatively with ‘तत्’ implied

• किंचित्: anything (some)
• किंचित्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — indefinite pronoun ‘something/anything’

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (Passive) — is given

• वसु: wealth/gift
• वसु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘wealth’ (object of giving, understood)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from instructional dharma context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Para-jalāśaya (another reservoir) as ritual purifier (generic)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor at a water-reservoir: collecting five small lumps of clean earth, bathing, then approaching a seated brāhmaṇa/ascetic recipient with folded hands to offer a modest gift.

Characters & Entities

• Pātra (worthy recipient)
• Śraddhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity becomes spiritually potent when joined with purity of conduct and śraddhā, and when offered to a worthy recipient.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific tīrtha is not named; the verse assumes a sacred landscape with water bodies suitable for purifying snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ritual bathing (snāna) after taking five lumps of earth, followed by dāna to a qualified pātra with śraddhā.