Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

ॐ विष्णुरूप द्विजश्रेष्ठ भूदेव पङ्क्तिपावन । सदक्षिणा मया दत्ता तुभ्यं वैतरणि नमः । इति दानमन्त्रः

Transliteration

oṃ viṣṇurūpa dvijaśreṣṭha bhūdeva paṅktipāvana | sadakṣiṇā mayā dattā tubhyaṃ vaitaraṇi namaḥ | iti dānamantraḥ

Translation

ॐ വിഷ്ണുരൂപനായ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ഭൂദേവാ, പംക്തിപാവനാ! യഥോചിത ദക്ഷിണയോടുകൂടിയ ഈ ദാനം ഞാൻ നിങ്ങള്ക്ക് നൽകി. ഹേ വൈതരണീ, നിനക്കു നമസ്കാരം।—ഇത് ദാനമന്ത്രമാണ്।

Word by Word

• ॐ: Oṃ
• ॐ: Sambodhana/Invocation (आह्वान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ॐ (अव्यय)
• Form: मङ्गल/प्रणव-शब्दः; अव्यय

• विष्णुरूप: O one of Viṣṇu’s form
• विष्णुरूप: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु-रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; विष्णोः रूपम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः

• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: O best of twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; द्विजानां श्रेष्ठः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• भूदेव: O earth-god (brāhmaṇa)
• भूदेव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू-देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; भूमेः देवः/भूमिदेव इति (epithet of brāhmaṇa)

• पङ्क्तिपावन: O purifier of the (dining) row
• पङ्क्तिपावन: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पङ्क्ति-पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन; पङ्क्तेः पावनः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• सदक्षिणा: together with dakṣiṇā (fee)
• सदक्षिणा: Karta/Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; स- उपसर्गसदृशः (with) + दक्षिणा; विशेषणम् (qualifying dānam implied)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-हेतुः (by me)

• दत्ता: given
• दत्ता: Kriya (क्रियाविशेष/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; (दानम्) दत्तम् इत्यर्थे

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन; सम्प्रदान

• वैतरणि: O Vaitaraṇī
• वैतरणि: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (नमस्कार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: नमस्कारार्थक अव्यय-प्रयोगः

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-parisamapti (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्तिसूचक अव्यय

• दानमन्त्रः: the gift-mantra
• दानमन्त्रः: Karta/Predicate nominal (उपपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान-मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; दानस्य मन्त्रः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

Speaker

Narratorial/ritual-instruction voice (within Revā Khaṇḍa discourse; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaitaraṇī-dāna (gift-rite)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal gifting scene: donor offers the consecrated gift with dakṣiṇā to a dignified brāhmaṇa seated on a kuśa mat; the brāhmaṇa is subtly haloed as Viṣṇu-rūpa.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brāhmaṇa (dvija)
• Vaitaraṇī (as dāna/rite)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity offered with reverence and proper dakṣiṇā, seeing the worthy recipient as sacred, becomes a dharmic act that purifies and protects the giver.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred region); the immediate focus is the Vaitaraṇī-dāna rite rather than a single named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of the dāna-mantra while giving the Vaitaraṇī-related gift (traditionally the ‘Vaitaraṇī-dhenu’ donation) along with dakṣiṇā to a Brāhmaṇa.