Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

शतेषु जायते शूरः सहस्रेषु च पंडितः । वक्ता शतसहस्रेषु दाता जायेत वा न वा

Transliteration

śateṣu jāyate śūraḥ sahasreṣu ca paṃḍitaḥ | vaktā śatasahasreṣu dātā jāyeta vā na vā

Translation

Parmi des centaines naît un héros; parmi des milliers, un savant. Parmi des centaines de milliers surgit un orateur éloquent—mais un véritable donateur peut naître, ou ne pas naître du tout.

Word by Word

• śateṣu: among hundreds
• śateṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्; अधिकरण (among/in hundreds)

• jāyate: is born/arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• śūraḥ: a hero
• śūraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• sahasreṣu: among thousands
• sahasreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्; अधिकरण

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

• paṇḍitaḥ: a learned man
• paṇḍitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṇḍita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• vaktā: an orator
• vaktā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaktṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; ‘speaker/orator’

• śata-sahasreṣu: among hundreds of thousands
• śata-sahasreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (numerical compound) — ‘in hundreds of thousands’

• dātā: a giver
• dātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• jāyeta: may be born
• jāyeta: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (or)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (or)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic ‘ladder of virtues’: warrior, scholar, orator, and finally the giver at the summit with an open palm radiating light; crowds below emphasize rarity.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True generosity is rarer than bravery, scholarship, or eloquence; therefore dāna is a supreme and uncommon virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is referenced; the verse is a general encomium of dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it motivates the practice of dāna by praising the rarity of a genuine donor.