Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

देवगृहे तु पक्षादौ यः करोति विलेपनम् । गोदानशतसाहस्रे दत्ते भवति यत्फलम्

Transliteration

devagṛhe tu pakṣādau yaḥ karoti vilepanam | godānaśatasāhasre datte bhavati yatphalam

Translation

ദേവാലയത്തിൽ പക്ഷാരംഭത്തിൽ പവിത്ര ലേപനം ചെയ്യുന്നവന്‍, ഒരു ലക്ഷം ഗോദാനം നൽകിയതിനു തുല്യമായ ഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• देवगृहे: in the temple (god’s house)
• देवगृहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवस्य गृहम्)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• पक्षादौ: at the beginning of the fortnight
• पक्षादौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Masculine, Locative singular; तत्पुरुषः (पक्षस्य आदौ)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• करोति: does/performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• विलेपनम्: smearing/anointing (plastering)
• विलेपनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि + लेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• गोदानशतसाहस्रे: in (the case of) a hundred-thousand cow-gifts
• गोदानशतसाहस्रे: Adhikarana (Comparison/Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदान + शत + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular; समासः: (गोदानम्) + (शतसाहस्रम्) ‘hundred-thousand of cow-gifts’ (तत्पुरुष-समास)

• दत्ते: is given
• दत्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, 3rd person singular, Atmanepada; अर्थे ‘when given’ (contextual)

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Neuter singular (relative ‘which/that’)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative singular

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a stone temple, devotees at dawn of pratipadā prepare sacred plaster/unguent and carefully apply it to the sanctum walls or to the deity’s pedestal, with priests supervising; offerings arranged nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Deva-gṛha (temple)
• Pakṣa
• Vilepana
• Go-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humble temple service (sevā) is exalted as a powerful form of dharma, equated with vast charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The temple setting within the Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha sphere (linked to Māṇḍavyeśvara/Nārāyaṇa worship).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing vilepana (ritual smearing/plastering/anointing) in the temple at the start of a pakṣa (fortnight).