Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

यो यच्छति द्विजेन्द्राय धर्मशास्त्रसमुद्भवम् । पुस्तकं वाजिमेधस्य स समग्रं फलं लभेत्

Transliteration

yo yacchati dvijendrāya dharmaśāstrasamudbhavam | pustakaṃ vājimedhasya sa samagraṃ phalaṃ labhet

Translation

Quiconque offre à un brāhmane éminent un livre issu de la tradition du Dharmaśāstra obtient la plénitude du fruit du sacrifice Vājimedha.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः

• yacchati: gives
• yacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थे ‘ददाति’ (to give)

• dvija-indrāya: to the best of the twice-born (a Brahmin)
• dvija-indrāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजानाम् इन्द्रः)

• dharma-śāstra-samudbhavam: originating from dharma-śāstra
• dharma-śāstra-samudbhavam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharmaśāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पुस्तकम्); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मशास्त्रात् समुद्भवः)

• pustakam: a book
• pustakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pustaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vāji-medhasya: of the Vājimedha (horse-sacrifice)
• vāji-medhasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāji-medha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (vāji=aśva; medha=yajña)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• samagram: entire / complete
• samagram: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samagra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (फलम्)

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (phalaśruti within Sarasvatī tīrtha māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-kṣetra/āyatana (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor respectfully offers a bound manuscript/book to a venerable brāhmaṇa-teacher; the book glows with dharma-syllables; in the background a symbolic horse and yajña-altar indicate Vājimedha equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Dharmaśāstra
• Vājimedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Textual charity—especially dharma-oriented learning—creates immense merit and sustains righteous order in society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī tīrtha/āyatana context in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, where knowledge-related dāna is specially praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pustaka-dāna: gifting a Dharmaśāstra-derived book to a learned brāhmaṇa (dvijendra).