Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

दानस्य वा मुनिश्रेष्ठ यन्मे सौभाग्यमुत्तमम् । वशो राजा महाबाहुर्मम वाक्यानुगः सदा

Transliteration

dānasya vā muniśreṣṭha yanme saubhāgyamuttamam | vaśo rājā mahābāhurmama vākyānugaḥ sadā

Translation

«Ou bien est-ce par la charité, ô le meilleur des sages, que je possède la fortune suprême — au point que le roi aux puissants bras demeure toujours sous mon ascendant, suivant sans cesse mes paroles ?»

Word by Word

• दानस्य: of giving, charity
• दानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक) — ‘or’

• मुनि-श्रेष्ठ: O best of sages
• मुनि-श्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः ‘मुनीनां श्रेष्ठः’

• यत्: which, that which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextual), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; enclitic

• सौभाग्यम्: good fortune
• सौभाग्यम्: Karta (Topic/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभाग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextual), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextual), एकवचन; ‘सौभाग्यम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• वशः: under control, in subjection
• वशः: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘वशः’ = control/subjection

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• महाबाहुः: mighty-armed
• महाबाहुः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः ‘महान्तौ बाहू यस्य सः’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• वाक्य-अनुगः: obedient to (my) words
• वाक्य-अनुगः: Karta (Predicate-Qualifier/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः ‘वाक्यानुगः’ = following (my) words

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘always’

Speaker

Indumatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kaṇva ṛṣi

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The woman asks whether her supreme good fortune and the king’s constant compliance arise from charity; the sage is addressed as ‘muniśreṣṭha’.

Characters & Entities

• Indumatī
• muniśreṣṭha (best sage)
• rājā (king)
• dāna (charity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse frames prosperity and harmony as possible fruits of merit—especially charity—inviting reflection on ethical causes behind worldly blessings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the overarching sacred context; the narrative uses personal karma to illuminate dharma within the tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charitable giving) is explicitly mentioned as a potential source of merit, though details of the gift are not specified.