Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

एकमेतत्प्रदातव्यं न बहूनां युधिष्ठिर । सा च विक्रयमापन्ना दहत्यासप्तमं कुलम्

Transliteration

ekametatpradātavyaṃ na bahūnāṃ yudhiṣṭhira | sā ca vikrayamāpannā dahatyāsaptamaṃ kulam

Translation

Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, persembahan suci ini hendaknya diberikan sebagai satu kesatuan, bukan kepada banyak orang secara terpecah. Dan bila dana itu diperjualbelikan, ia membakar—mendatangkan kebinasaan—pada garis keturunan hingga tujuh generasi.

Word by Word

• ekam: one (single)
• ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (demonstrative)

• pradātavyam: should be given
• pradātavyam: Vidhi (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√dā (दा) + -tavya (कृत्)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृत्य (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate: "to be given")

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

• bahūnām: of many (persons)
• bahūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of many)

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhira: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संबोधन (vocative address)

• sā: she/that (thing)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (she/that)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vikrayam: sale, selling
• vikrayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (object of motion/attainment)

• āpannā: having come to, fallen into
• āpannā: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√pad (पद्) (कृत्: क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृत् (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (having fallen into/entered)

• dahati: burns, destroys
• dahati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dah (दह्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ā: up to
• ā: Sambandha (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधी/पर्यन्त-बोधक (up to, until)

• saptamam: seventh
• saptamam: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• kulam: family, lineage
• kulam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

A Purāṇic narrator instructing Yudhiṣṭhira (deduced from vocative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-maṇḍala

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn instruction scene: an elder dharma-teacher addressing Yudhiṣṭhira; in the background a tīrtha setting with riverbank and ritual implements, emphasizing the gravity of selling a consecrated gift and its lineage-burning consequence.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred gifts must not be commodified; treating dāna as merchandise corrupts dharma and brings severe familial consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse is a dharma injunction within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give the specified dāna as a single whole (not split among many) and do not sell what is given as sacred charity.