Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

शक्तिविषये च श्लोका भवंति । कुटुंबभुक्तवसनाद्देयं यदतिरिच्यते । मध्वास्वादो विषं पश्चाद्दातुर्धर्मोऽन्यथा भवेत्

Transliteration

śaktiviṣaye ca ślokā bhavaṃti | kuṭuṃbabhuktavasanāddeyaṃ yadatiricyate | madhvāsvādo viṣaṃ paścāddāturdharmo'nyathā bhavet

Translation

Au sujet de la juste mesure selon ses moyens, ces vers sont enseignés : après avoir nourri et vêtu la famille, ce qui reste en surplus doit être donné. Douce d’abord comme le miel mais poison ensuite est la « charité » du donateur lorsque le dharma est accompli d’une manière qui nuit aux devoirs légitimes.

Word by Word

• शक्तिविषये: regarding (one’s) capacity
• शक्तिविषये: Adhikaraṇa (Topic/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति + विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘शक्तेः विषयः’ (regarding capacity)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• श्लोकाः: verses
• श्लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• भवन्ति: are/occur
• भवन्ति: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• कुटुम्बभुक्तवसनात्: from (what remains after) the family’s used clothing/needs
• कुटुम्बभुक्तवसनात्: Apādāna (Source/ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुटुम्ब + भुक्त + वसन (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘कुटुम्बेन भुक्तं वसनं’ इति (from the clothing used by the family)

• देयम्: to be given
• देयम्: Karma (Thing to be given)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + य (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be given’

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Correlative to ‘deyam’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• अतिरिच्यते: remains over/is surplus
• अतिरिच्यते: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति + रिच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• मधु-आस्वादः: the taste of honey
• मधु-आस्वादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + आस्वाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘मधोः आस्वादः’

• विषम्: poison
• विषम्: Karma/Predicative complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kāla (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• दातुः: of the giver
• दातुः: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• धर्मः: merit/dharma
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Prakāra (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder divides food and cloth: first to family members, then offers the remaining portion to a guest/ascetic; a symbolic honey pot and a hidden poison vial illustrate the metaphor of harmful charity.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna must be aligned with responsibility; give from surplus so that charity does not turn into harm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the teaching concerns ethical household charity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Support family necessities first; then donate what remains, according to one’s means.