Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणाय च गौर्देया सर्वत्रसुखमश्नुते । न देया द्विजमात्राय दातारं सोऽवपातयेत्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇāya ca gaurdeyā sarvatrasukhamaśnute | na deyā dvijamātrāya dātāraṃ so'vapātayet

Translation

牛はまことのバラモンにこそ施すべきであり、施主はあらゆる所で安楽を得る。だが名ばかりの「二度生まれ」に与えてはならない。そのような受者は施主を没落へと導く。

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇāya: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

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

• gauḥ: a cow
• gauḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• deyā: should be given
• deyā: Vidhi (Injunctive predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धाातु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → deyā (कृदन्त/विधेय)
• Form: विधिलिङ्गार्थक-कर्तव्यता/आदेश (gerundive/भाव्य), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘gauḥ’ इत्यस्य विधेयविशेषणम्

• sarvatra-sukham: happiness everywhere
• sarvatra-sukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय) + sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावसमास (sarvatra + sukham)

• aśnute: attains/enjoys
• aśnute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (अश् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

• deyā: should be given
• deyā: Vidhi (Injunctive predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धाातु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → deyā (कृदन्त/विधेय)
• Form: विधिलिङ्गार्थक-कर्तव्यता/आदेश (gerundive), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘gauḥ’ (अनुवृत्त) इत्यस्य विधेयविशेषणम्

• dvija-mātrāya: to one who is only a ‘twice-born’ (in name only)
• dvija-mātrāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमास (dvija-mātra = ‘only a Brahmin/merely by birth’)

• dātāram: the giver
• dātāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• avapātayet: would cause to fall / would ruin
• avapātayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-pat (अव + पत् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative) भावः—‘पातयेत्’

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced: Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa context—Brahmā addressing Nārada)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-scene moral tableau: on one side, a true brāhmaṇa receiving go-dāna with blessing; on the other, a merely nominal dvija receiving greedily, with the donor shown falling into misfortune—illustrating apātra-dāna doṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Gauḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna must be guided by discernment; giving to an unworthy recipient can negate merit and harm the giver.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā, where the text emphasizes dharmic standards for charity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-dāna along with strict pātra-selection—offering to a qualified Brāhmaṇa rather than a merely nominal dvija.