Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

रौप्यं पितॄणामतिवल्लभं तद्दत्त्वा नरो निर्मलतामुपैति । सोमस्य लोकं लभते स तावद्भुवे निवद्धा ऋषयो हि यावत्

Transliteration

raupyaṃ pitṝṇāmativallabhaṃ taddattvā naro nirmalatāmupaiti | somasya lokaṃ labhate sa tāvadbhuve nivaddhā ṛṣayo hi yāvat

Translation

L’argent est infiniment cher aux Pitṛs ; en l’offrant, l’homme parvient à la pureté. Il obtient le monde de Soma (Soma-loka) aussi longtemps que les ṛṣi demeurent liés à la terre, selon l’ordonnance immense.

Word by Word

• raupyam: silver
• raupyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raupya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• pitṝṇām: of the Pitṛs (manes)
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• ati-vallabham: very dear
• ati-vallabham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + vallabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; अव्ययपूर्वपद-कर्मधारय (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; adjective; intensifying)

• tat: that (silver)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; pronoun)

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive): 'having given'

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• nirmalatām: purity
• nirmalatām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirmalatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• upaiti: attains
• upaiti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√i (इ) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present Indicative, Active, 3rd person, Singular)

• somasya: of Soma
• somasya: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• lokam: world; realm
• lokam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present Indicative, Middle, 3rd person, Singular)

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

• tāvat: so long
• tāvat: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-अर्थे (indeclinable; 'so long')

• bhuve: on earth
• bhuve: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

• nivaddhāḥ: bound; fixed
• nivaddhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-√bandh (बन्ध्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; adjectival)

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्धे (correlative indeclinable: 'as long as')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor offers polished silver vessels/coins; subtle pitṛ presence is suggested through ancestral silhouettes receiving satisfaction; above, Soma’s cool lunar realm shines, indicating purity and long-lasting fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Soma
• Ṛṣis (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gifts aligned with ancestral welfare purify the giver and connect one to luminous, soma-like realms shaped by sacred merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Raupya-dāna (donation of silver), especially meaningful in relation to Pitṛs.