Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

देशे काले च विधिना तदानंत्याय कल्पते । भूप्रदो मण्डलाधीशः सर्वत्र सुखितोऽन्नदः

Transliteration

deśe kāle ca vidhinā tadānaṃtyāya kalpate | bhūprado maṇḍalādhīśaḥ sarvatra sukhito'nnadaḥ

Translation

場所と時をわきまえ、法にかなって施しをなすなら、その果報は尽きることがない。土地を施す者は領国の主となり、食を施す者はどこにあっても安楽である。

Word by Word

• देशे: in (proper) place
• देशे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• काले: at (proper) time
• काले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय — conjunction

• विधिना: by proper procedure
• विधिना: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• तत्: that (act)
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — demonstrative ‘that’; refers to the act (of giving)

• आनन्त्याय: for endlessness/infinite merit
• आनन्त्याय: Sampradāna (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन — dative singular (purpose)

• कल्पते: becomes (conducive)
• कल्पते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — becomes/is fit/amounts to

• भू-प्रदः: the giver of land
• भू-प्रदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; समासः: भूप्रद = भूमेः प्रदाता (giver of land)

• मण्डल-अधीशः: (becomes) a regional lord
• मण्डल-अधीशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + अधीश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; समासः: मण्डलाधीश = मण्डलस्य अधीशः (lord of a region)

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Deśa (Scope/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय — adverb ‘everywhere’

• सुखितः: happy
• सुखितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखित (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम् (past participial adjective)

• अन्न-दः: giver of food
• अन्न-दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; समासः: अन्नद = अन्नस्य दाता (giver of food)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two vignettes: a formal land-gift ceremony with boundary markers and witnesses; and a public feeding scene where the donor serves food to pilgrims and ascetics, radiating contentment.

Characters & Entities

• Bhū-dāna (land gift)
• Anna-dāna (food gift)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rightly timed and rightly placed charity yields ‘endless’ merit; different gifts confer corresponding fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is specified; the teaching is general dharma suitable for pilgrims in sacred regions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Make dāna observing deśa, kāla, and vidhi; special fruits are stated for land-gift and food-gift.