Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यदत्र दीयते दानं हूयते यच्च पावके । सर्वं तदक्षयं विद्याज्जपानशनसाधनात्

Transliteration

yadatra dīyate dānaṃ hūyate yacca pāvake | sarvaṃ tadakṣayaṃ vidyājjapānaśanasādhanāt

Translation

Toute aumône donnée ici, et toute offrande versée dans le feu sacré, sachez que tout cela est impérissable, par la puissance du japa et des observances religieuses telles que le jeûne.

Word by Word

• yat: whatever (that which)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; relative pronoun (यत्)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• dīyate: is given
• dīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा, धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• dānam: gift, donation
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• hūyate: is offered (as oblation)
• hūyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hu (हु, धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• yat: whatever (that which)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• pāvake: in the fire
• pāvake: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• sarvam: all (of that)
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• akṣayam: imperishable, inexhaustible
• akṣayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक); na + kṣaya (क्षय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of तत्/सर्वम्)

• vidyāt: should know
• vidyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (विद्, धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• japa: recitation
• japa: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; जप (m.)

• anaśana: fasting
• anaśana: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anaśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासमध्यपद; अनशन (n.) fasting

• sādhanāt: from the practice/means of japa and fasting
• sādhanāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa-anaśana-sādhana (प्रातिपदिक); जप + अनशन + साधन
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; समास: जपानशनसाधन (determinative: 'means consisting of japa and fasting')

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāradīya-saras (contextual)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed in nearby verse; discourse context suggests instruction to Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a forest-lake tīrtha: a small homa-kuṇḍa with steady flames, a donor placing gifts before a priest, and a devotee seated in japa with rudrākṣa; the atmosphere suggests ‘akṣaya’ merit being sanctified by mantra and restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Nāradīya-saras
• pāvaka (sacred fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

At a powerful tīrtha, dharmic acts like charity and fire-offerings become akṣaya when supported by disciplined practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāradīya-saras, where dāna and homa are said to yield imperishable merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charity), homa (offerings into fire), along with japa and anaśana (fasting/abstinence).