Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

हिरण्यं तत्र दातव्यं ब्राह्मणे शंसितव्रते । गोदानं विधिवत्तत्र देयं चैव द्विजन्मने

Transliteration

hiraṇyaṃ tatra dātavyaṃ brāhmaṇe śaṃsitavrate | godānaṃ vidhivattatra deyaṃ caiva dvijanmane

Translation

Là, l’or doit être offert en aumône à un brāhmaṇa fidèle à des vœux loués ; et là encore, le don d’une vache doit être accompli selon le rite et remis, conformément à la règle, à un « deux-fois-né ».

Word by Word

• hiraṇyam: gold
• hiraṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-वाक्ये कर्तृस्थानी/विधेय-विषयः

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• dātavyam: should be given
• dātavyam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dātavya (प्रातिपदिक; √dā (धातु) तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थक-कर्तव्यता (gerundive: ‘to be given’)

• brāhmaṇe: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सम्प्रदानम्

• śaṃsitavrate: (to the Brahmin) of praised vows
• śaṃsitavrate: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃsita + vrata (प्रातिपदिक; śaṃsita = √śaṃs (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपसदृश; अत्र brāhmaṇe इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण चतुर्थी-एकवचनार्थे (brāhmaṇe ... śaṃsitavrate); ‘प्रशंसित-व्रत’ इति विशेषणम्

• godānam: gift of a cow
• godānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विषयः

• vidhivat: according to proper rite
• vidhivat: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhivat (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘according to rule’)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• deyam: is to be given
• deyam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deya (प्रातिपदिक; √dā (धातु) यत्/ण्यत्-भावे कर्तव्यता)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तव्यता—‘to be given’

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle of emphasis)

• dvijanmane: to the twice-born (Brahmin)
• dvijanmane: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvijanman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सम्प्रदानम्; बहुव्रीहिः—‘द्वि जन्म यस्य’ (ब्राह्मणः)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa offers gold and a decorated cow to a vow-observant brāhmaṇa near a sacred precinct; attendants hold water-pot and kusa grass; the sea-breeze and temple banners suggest the coastal tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Hiraṇya-dāna
• Go-dāna
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by dharma: devotion must culminate in generosity and support of the virtuous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where dāna is recommended as part of tīrtha-dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hiraṇya-dāna (donation of gold) and go-dāna (gifting a cow) to qualified recipients, performed vidhivat (according to rite).