Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

एकजन्मांतरं यावत्सम्यग्दत्तं नृपोत्तमः । गौतमेश्वरदेवस्य यत्पुरा पुरतः कृतम्

Transliteration

ekajanmāṃtaraṃ yāvatsamyagdattaṃ nṛpottamaḥ | gautameśvaradevasya yatpurā purataḥ kṛtam

Translation

ಹೇ ನೃಪೋತ್ತಮ! ಗೌತಮೇಶ್ವರ ದೇವರ ಸನ್ನಿಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂರ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮ್ಯಕ್ಗా ನೀಡಿದ ದಾನವು, ಒಂದು ಜನ್ಮಾಂತರವರೆಗೆ ಫಲಪ್ರದವಾಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ.

Word by Word

• एकजन्मान्तरम्: one (single) intervening birth
• एकजन्मान्तरम्: Karma/Avadhi (Extent/अवधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + जन्मान्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—एक (संख्या) + जन्मान्तर (द्विगु)

• यावत्: as long as, up to
• यावत्: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (until/as long as)

• सम्यक्: properly, duly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दा)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (given)

• नृपोत्तमः: the best of kings
• नृपोत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—नृपाणाम् उत्तमः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गौतमेश्वरदेवस्य: of Lord Gautameśvara
• गौतमेश्वरदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतमेश्वरदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—गौतमेश्वर + देव (तत्पुरुष; 'गौतमेश्वरः देवः')

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• पुरतः: in the presence of, before
• पुरतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (in front of)

• कृतम्: done, performed
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (done/made)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; speaking to/ about a king in the narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautameśvara (in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (standard frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kingly donor offers a formal gift before the Gautameśvara liṅga; priests witness, lamps burn, and the sanctum radiates calm power, suggesting merit extending across lifetimes.

Characters & Entities

• Gautameśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A gift offered with proper rite and sacred orientation (in the deity’s presence) carries enduring karmic potency beyond the present life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The presence of Gautameśvara indicates the Gautameśvara shrine within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra tīrtha-region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To give ‘samyak’—properly—before Gautameśvara (purataḥ), implying a formalized tīrtha-dāna setting.