Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

दशहयसमा कन्या भूमिदानं ततोऽधिकम् । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन विक्रयं नैव कारयेत्

Transliteration

daśahayasamā kanyā bhūmidānaṃ tato'dhikam | tasmātsarvaprayatnena vikrayaṃ naiva kārayet

Translation

Une jeune fille donnée en mariage vaut dix chevaux; mais le don de la terre est plus grand encore. Aussi, de tout son effort, qu’on ne fasse jamais vendre ce qui est sacré.

Word by Word

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; समासपूर्वपदत्वेन (numeral used as prior member)

• haya: horse
• haya: Viśeṣya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचनार्थे समासाङ्ग (in compound, base ‘horse’)

• samā: equal to
• samā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; ‘सम’ विशेषण (equal)

• kanyā: a maiden/daughter
• kanyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा); एकवचन

• bhūmi-dānam: gift of land
• bhūmi-dānam: Pradhāna-vākya-artha (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भूमेः दानम्’

• tataḥ: than that/from that
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः इत्यर्थे (ablatival adverb)

• adhikam: greater/more
• adhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; तुलनार्थे (comparative sense: more)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत्; हेत्वर्थे ‘तस्मात्’ (therefore)

• sarva-prayatnena: with every effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण); एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘सर्वः प्रयत्नः’ → ‘सर्वप्रयत्नेन’ (with all effort)

• vikrayam: sale/selling
• vikrayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म); एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• kārayet: should cause/should have done (should not allow)
• kārayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) [णिच् causative: kāray-]
• Form: लोट् (imperative/विधिलिङ्-सदृश आदेश); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: ‘cause to be done’)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ceremonial scene: kanyā-dāna with a bride led by elders, contrasted with a land-grant ceremony where a copperplate deed and a handful of earth are offered to a worthy recipient; a warning sign against 'vikraya' of sacred learning appears as a rejected coin purse near a Veda manuscript.

Characters & Entities

• Kanyā
• Bhūmi (land)
• Haya (horse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Land donation is exalted, while commercialization of sacred obligations is discouraged as adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the Māhātmya context in which dāna-ethics are taught for pilgrims and patrons.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A hierarchy of dāna is stated, followed by an injunction to avoid engaging in ‘sale’ (vikraya) of what should remain sacred.