Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

दानं चैव यथाशक्त्या कार्तिक्यां च विशेषतः । देवं प्रपूजयेद्भक्त्या ब्रह्मेशं हृष्टमानसः

Transliteration

dānaṃ caiva yathāśaktyā kārtikyāṃ ca viśeṣataḥ | devaṃ prapūjayedbhaktyā brahmeśaṃ hṛṣṭamānasaḥ

Translation

Et l’on doit faire l’aumône selon ses moyens, surtout au mois de Kārtika ; puis, le cœur réjoui, vénérer avec dévotion le dieu Brahmeśa.

Word by Word

• dānam: gift; charity
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्म/विषय-रूपेण (neuter nom/acc sg)

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

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• yathāśaktyā: according to one’s capacity
• yathāśaktyā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā-śakti (प्रातिपदिक; यथā + शक्ति)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः—‘यथाशक्ति’ (adverbial: according to one’s ability)

• kārtikyām: in (the month of) Kārtikī
• kārtikyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtikī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (locative sg)

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

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (adverb: especially)

• devam: the deity
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (acc sg)

• prapūjayet: should worship
• prapūjayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (should worship)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (instr sg)

• brahmeśam: Brahmā’s lord; Brahmeśa
• brahmeśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-īśa (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन् + ईश)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध: ‘ब्रह्मणः ईशः’); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• hṛṣṭamānasaḥ: with a delighted mind
• hṛṣṭamānasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛṣṭa-mānasa (प्रातिपदिक; हृष्ट + मानस)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (one whose mind is delighted)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmeśa/Mokṣeśvara-associated tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim with a small bundle of gifts offers dāna, then worships a Śiva-liṅga titled Brahmeśa with lamps and bilva, face bright with joy in the Kārtika season.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Brahmeśa
• Kārtika (month)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit is amplified when devotion is paired with generosity, particularly in sacred times like the month of Kārtika.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahmeśa (the deity/liṅga) at the Brahmeśa tīrtha associated with Brahmasaras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna according to capacity, and bhakti-based pūjā of Brahmeśa—especially during Kārtika.