Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

गयाश्राद्धसहस्राणि कृतानि शतसंख्यया । अन्नदानं कृतं यैस्तु द्वारकापथि मानवैः

Transliteration

gayāśrāddhasahasrāṇi kṛtāni śatasaṃkhyayā | annadānaṃ kṛtaṃ yaistu dvārakāpathi mānavaiḥ

Translation

जो मनुष्य द्वारका के मार्ग में अन्नदान करते हैं, उनके लिए मानो हजारों गया-श्राद्ध—हाँ, सैकड़ों की गणना से—किए हुए हो जाते हैं।

Word by Word

• gayā-śrāddha-sahasrāṇi: thousands of Gayā-śrāddhas
• gayā-śrāddha-sahasrāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā-śrāddha-sahasra (प्रातिपदिक; गया + श्राद्ध + सहस्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गयायां श्राद्धम्) + संख्या

• kṛtāni: done; performed
• kṛtāni: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; कर्मविशेषणम्

• śata-saṃkhyayā: by a count of a hundred
• śata-saṃkhyayā: Karana (Instrument/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata-saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक; शत + संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/परिमाण (by the count of a hundred)

• anna-dānam: gift of food
• anna-dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna-dāna (प्रातिपदिक; अन्न + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मविशेषणम्

• yaiḥ: by whom
• yaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण/कर्ता-निर्देश (relative pronoun)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक निपात

• dvārakā-pathi: on the road to Dvārakā
• dvārakā-pathi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā-pathin (प्रातिपदिक; द्वारका + पथिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• mānavaiḥ: by men
• mānavaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; कर्तृ/करण

Speaker

Nārada (instructing sages/pilgrims; speaker attribution from immediate narrative context of Adhyāya 30)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (approach routes)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A roadside anna-śālā on the way to Dvārakā: volunteers serve rice and water to weary pilgrims; in the subtle background, Pitṛs are shown satisfied, receiving the offering’s essence.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Gayā
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Feeding others during a pilgrimage is exalted as a powerful act of dharma, generating vast merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is glorified, specifically the pilgrimage path leading to Dvārakā; Gayā is referenced as a benchmark of śrāddha merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Anna-dāna (donation of food) performed on the Dvārakā route, praised as comparable to many Gayā-śrāddhas.