Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

तस्मै दानानि देयानि नान्यस्मै च त्रयीविदे । या गतिर्योगयुक्तानां मुनीनामूर्ध्वरेतसाम्

Transliteration

tasmai dānāni deyāni nānyasmai ca trayīvide | yā gatiryogayuktānāṃ munīnāmūrdhvaretasām

Translation

C’est à ce dévot qu’il faut offrir les dons, et non à un autre, fût-il connaisseur de la triade védique ; car ce dévot atteint l’état même des munis yogis, maîtres de leurs sens et à l’énergie transmutée.

Word by Word

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dānāni: gifts
• dānāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• deyāni: should be given
• deyāni: Vidhana (Predicate qualifier/विधान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: ‘to be given’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• anyasmai: to another
• anyasmai: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

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

• trayīvide: to the knower of the three Vedas
• trayīvide: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trayī-vid (प्रातिपदिक; त्रयी + विद्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (त्रयीं वेत्ति इति)

• yā: which
• yā: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• gatiḥ: state/goal
• gatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• yoga-yuktānām: of those engaged in yoga
• yoga-yuktānām: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga-yukta (प्रातिपदिक; योग + युक्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (योगेन युक्त)

• munīnām: of sages
• munīnām: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• ūrdhva-retasām: of the celibate/continent (lit. ‘with upward semen’)
• ūrdhva-retasām: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva-retas (प्रातिपदिक; ऊर्ध्व + रेतस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (ऊर्ध्वं रेतः यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder offers gifts with reverence to a humble Rāmeśvara devotee; behind them, ascetic yogis are shown in meditation, visually equating the devotee’s destiny with yogic attainment.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmeśvara (implied by prior verse context)
• Munis
• Yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity gains highest fruit when offered to a true devotee of Rāmeśvara; devotion grants the same summit as austere yoga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvaram and the Rāma-Setu pilgrimage sphere (Setukhaṇḍa context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charitable giving) is prescribed—directed specifically toward the Rāmeśvara-devotee rather than merely to a Veda-knower.