Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अत्र दानेन होमेन यथाशक्त्या सुरोत्तमाः । तुलाश्वमेधयोः पुण्यं प्राप्नुयुर्मुनिसत्तम

Transliteration

atra dānena homena yathāśaktyā surottamāḥ | tulāśvamedhayoḥ puṇyaṃ prāpnuyurmunisattama

Translation

हे मुनिश्रेष्ठ! यहाँ यथाशक्ति दान और अग्निहोम करने से देवों में श्रेष्ठ भी तुलादान और अश्वमेध के समान पुण्य प्राप्त करते हैं।

Word by Word

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक

• दानेन: by giving (charity)
• दानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• होमेन: by oblation
• होमेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यथाशक्त्या: according to (one's) ability
• यथाशक्त्या: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (यथा शक्त्या = according to ability); अव्ययवत् प्रयोग

• सुरोत्तमाः: best of gods
• सुरोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सुराणाम् उत्तमाः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तुलाश्वमेधयोः: of (the rites) Tulā and Aśvamedha
• तुलाश्वमेधयोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला (प्रातिपदिक) + अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (तुला च अश्वमेधश्च); षष्ठी-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्नुयुः: would obtain
• प्राप्नुयुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• मुनिसत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मुनीनां सत्तमः)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (Brahmakuṇḍa vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munisattama (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a riverside or kuṇḍa-side altar in Ayodhyā, sages guide householders offering ghee into a small sacred fire; donors present cloth, food, and coins; above, symbolic emblems of Tulā-dāna scales and Aśvamedha horse appear as divine approval.

Characters & Entities

• Tulā-dāna
• Aśvamedha
• Kuṇḍa/Tīrtha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma done with sincerity and within one’s means at a tīrtha gains amplified merit, comparable to great Vedic rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Ayodhyā tīrtha/kuṇḍa context where dāna and homa are said to yield extraordinary puṇya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charity) and homa (fire-offering), performed yathāśakti (according to capacity).