Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 108

Devanagari script

दृष्टास्तत्र महाभाग तपःसंचयसंस्थिताः । गोदाता स्वर्णदाता च भूमिरत्नप्रदा नराः

Transliteration

dṛṣṭāstatra mahābhāga tapaḥsaṃcayasaṃsthitāḥ | godātā svarṇadātā ca bhūmiratnapradā narāḥ

Translation

അവിടെ, ഹേ മഹാഭാഗ, തപസ്സിന്റെ സമ്പാദ്യത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിതരായ മനുഷ്യരെ കണ്ടു—ഗോ‑ദാതാക്കൾ, സ്വർണ്ണ‑ദാതാക്കൾ, ഭൂമിയും രത്നവും ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവർ।

Word by Word

• दृष्टाः: seen
• दृष्टाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• महाभाग: O greatly fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (महान् भागः यस्य/महान् भागः), पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; vocative

• तपःसंचयसंस्थिताः: situated in a store/accumulation of austerity
• तपःसंचयसंस्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस् + संचय + संस्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: (तपसः संचयः) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष + तस्मिन् संस्थिताः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष-भाव); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘संस्थित’; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• गोदाता: giver of cows
• गोदाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + दाता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (गाः ददाति इति), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (समूहवाचक/जातिवाचक प्रयोग)

• स्वर्णदाता: giver of gold
• स्वर्णदाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ण + दाता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्णं ददाति इति), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• भूमिरत्नप्रदाः: givers of jewels of the earth
• भूमिरत्नप्रदाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि + रत्न + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: (भूमेः रत्नम्) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष + तद् प्रदाः (उपपद-तत्पुरुष); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• नराः: men; people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa narration; speaker not stated in the provided excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahābhāga (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vision of meritorious donors—ascetic yet prosperous—standing in a luminous otherworldly assembly: cow-givers, gold-givers, land-and-jewel donors, all ‘established’ in accumulated tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Dāna (charity)
• Go-dāna
• Suvarṇa-dāna
• Bhūmi-dāna
• Ratna-dāna
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Generous giving—especially of high-value supports of life (cows, land, wealth)—builds tapas-like merit that elevates one’s post-mortem condition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s frame is Śuklatīrtha in Revākhaṇḍa; the verse emphasizes dāna as the path to auspicious realms.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Multiple forms of dāna are praised: gifting cows, gold, land, and jewels.