Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

वेदाध्ययनयुक्तानां निर्दोषाणां च पार्थिव । विभज्य स भवेद्देयो नैकस्य च कथंचन

Transliteration

vedādhyayanayuktānāṃ nirdoṣāṇāṃ ca pārthiva | vibhajya sa bhaveddeyo naikasya ca kathaṃcana

Translation

Ô Roi, le don ne doit être accordé qu’à ceux qui s’adonnent à l’étude des Veda et sont sans faute ; et il doit être réparti entre plusieurs—jamais, en aucune circonstance, à une seule personne.

Word by Word

• वेदाध्ययनयुक्तानाम्: of those devoted to Vedic study
• वेदाध्ययनयुक्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + अध्ययन (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural) — ‘connected with Veda-study’

• निर्दोषाणाम्: of the faultless
• निर्दोषाणाम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विभज्य: having divided, by distributing
• विभज्य: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि + भज् (धातु) → विभज्य (कृदन्त, ल्यप्/अव्ययीभाव-भाव)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• सः: it/that (gift)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• देयः: to be given, should be given
• देयः: Vidhyartha (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) → देय (कृदन्त, यत्)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (gerundive/यत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• एकस्य: of one (person)
• एकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• कथंचन: in any way, at all
• कथंचन: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indefinite adverb)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (pārthiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kingly patron (pārthiva) overseeing orderly distribution of gifts to multiple Veda-reciting Brāhmaṇas; palm-leaf texts visible; the act is calm, just, and communal.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna must be guided by discernment: give to worthy recipients and distribute fairly rather than concentrating wealth in one hand.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is part of a tīrtha-centered discourse but is a general dharmic rule applicable at sacred places.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give to faultless Veda-students and distribute the donation among multiple qualified recipients, not a single individual.