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Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

कात्यायन उवाच । दानस्य तपसो वापि भगवन्किं च दुष्करम् । किं वा महत्फलं प्रेत्य सारस्वत ब्रवीहि तत्

Transliteration

kātyāyana uvāca | dānasya tapaso vāpi bhagavankiṃ ca duṣkaram | kiṃ vā mahatphalaṃ pretya sārasvata bravīhi tat

Translation

Kātyāyana dit : «Ô Vénérable, entre le don (dāna) et l’austérité (tapas), qu’est-ce qui est vraiment difficile à accomplir ? Et qu’est-ce qui porte le plus grand fruit après la mort ? Ô Sārasvata, dis-le-moi».

Word by Word
कात्यायनःKātyāyana
कात्यायनः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootकात्यायन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st); एकवचन
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट् लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद
दानस्यof giving / of charity
दानस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootदान (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); एकवचन
तपसःof austerity
तपसः:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootतपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); एकवचन
वाor
वा:
Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle: or)
अपिalso
अपि:
Sambandha (Addition/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)
भगवन्O venerable one
भगवन्:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootभगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन
किम्what
किम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक
चand
च:
Sambandha (Coordination/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चय
दुष्करम्difficult
दुष्करम्:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootदुस् + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; उपसर्ग-निषेध (hard to do)
किम्what
किम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक
वाor
वा:
Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; विकल्पार्थक
महत्-फलम्great fruit/result
महत्-फलम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootमहत् + फल (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महत् फलम्)
प्रेत्यafter death / having departed
प्रेत्य:
Sambandha (Temporal/Concomitant action/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootप्र + इ (धातु)
Formक्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); 'having gone (to the next world)'
सारस्वतO Sārasvata
सारस्वत:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootसारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन
ब्रवीहिtell
ब्रवीहि:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootब्रू (धातु)
Formलोट् लकार (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद
तत्that
तत्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन
Speaker

Kātyāyana

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kātyāyana, hands folded, asks Sārasvata seated with a manuscript and water-pot; behind them symbolic scales weigh ‘dāna’ and ‘tapas’; a faint vision of afterlife paths (svarga/mokṣa) appears above.

Characters & Entities
K
Kātyāyana
S
Sārasvata

FAQs

It frames a dharmic inquiry: which practice—charity or austerity—is harder, and which brings the highest posthumous merit.

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal question within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.

No direct prescription is given; the verse introduces evaluation of dāna (charitable giving) and tapas (austerity).

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