Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

इह चत्वारि दानानि प्रोक्तानि परमर्षिभिः । विचार्य नानाशास्त्राणि शर्मणेत्र परत्र च

Transliteration

iha catvāri dānāni proktāni paramarṣibhiḥ | vicārya nānāśāstrāṇi śarmaṇetra paratra ca

Translation

Ici, les grands ṛṣi, après avoir médité sur maintes śāstra, ont proclamé quatre sortes de dons, qui apportent le bien-être en ce monde et dans l’autre.

Word by Word

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• catvāri: four
• catvāri: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvāri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण (dānāni-विशेषण)

• dānāni: gifts
• dānāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• proktāni: declared
• proktāni: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (said/declared)

• paramarṣibhiḥ: by the great sages
• paramarṣibhiḥ: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (परमाः ऋषयः)

• vicārya: having considered
• vicārya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + car (चर् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having considered’

• nānāśāstrāṇi: various scriptures
• nānāśāstrāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nānā + śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (नानाविधानि शास्त्राणि)

• śarmaṇi: in welfare/comfort
• śarmaṇi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• paratra: hereafter
• paratra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paratra (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: in the other world/thereafter)

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of ṛṣis in Kāśī, palm-leaf manuscripts open, debating and then presenting a fourfold list of gifts to attentive pilgrims; the Ganga and temples form the backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Paramarṣi
• Śāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity is systematized by scriptural reflection; properly understood dāna benefits both worldly life and the afterlife.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is Kāśī-khaṇḍa (glory of Kāśī), but this verse is an instructional preface rather than a direct tirtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It introduces a structured teaching: ‘four dānas’ (details not contained in this single verse).