Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

किं पुनः श्रद्धयोपेताः पर्वकाल उपस्थिते । दत्त्वा दानं द्विजेन्द्राणां नरा वेदविदां द्विजाः

Transliteration

kiṃ punaḥ śraddhayopetāḥ parvakāla upasthite | dattvā dānaṃ dvijendrāṇāṃ narā vedavidāṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

Combien plus encore, lorsque survient le temps propice d’une fête sacrée, les hommes, pourvus de foi, offrent des dons en charité aux plus éminents des deux-fois-nés, les brāhmaṇas connaisseurs des Veda !

Word by Word

• किम्: what (then)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative)

• पुनः: then, moreover
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पुनरुक्ति/अधिक्ये (again/further/more so)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• उपेताः: endowed (with)
• उपेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपेत (कृदन्त; उप-√इ (धातु) PPP)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘युक्ताः’ (endowed)

• पर्वकालः: the sacred occasion/time
• पर्वकालः: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘पर्वणः कालः’ (festival/holy time)

• उपस्थिते: when (it is) present/arrived
• उपस्थिते: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपस्थित (कृदन्त; उप-√स्था (धातु) PPP)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘उपस्थिते (सति)’ (when present)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having given’

• दानम्: a gift/charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• द्विजेन्द्राणाम्: of the best brāhmaṇas
• द्विजेन्द्राणाम्: Sampradana (Recipient—genitive usage/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘द्विजानाम् इन्द्राः’ (chief of twice-born)

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• वेदविदाम्: of the knowers of the Veda
• वेदविदाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + विद् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक ‘knower’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘वेदं विदन्ति ये’ (of Veda-knowers)

• द्विजाः: twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अप्पोजिशन (in apposition to नराः)

Speaker

Nārada (implied, as the upcoming verses introduce Nārada’s gāthā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇupadī (contextual)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Festival-time riverbank: devotees with folded hands present gifts to learned brāhmaṇas; banners and lamps indicate parva; the river remains in the background as witness to dāna.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Veda
• Brāhmaṇa (dvija)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faith (śraddhā) and timely charity magnify merit, especially when given to worthy recipients devoted to Vedic knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate context leads into the glorification of Viṣṇupadī (a sacred tīrtha/holy water associated with Viṣṇu’s footprint).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna—giving charitable gifts to eminent Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas at parva-kāla (festival/auspicious times).