Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यो भक्त्या दद्याद्दीपं सुशोभनम् । जायते तस्य राजेन्द्र महादीप्तिः शारीरजा

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yo bhaktyā dadyāddīpaṃ suśobhanam | jāyate tasya rājendra mahādīptiḥ śārīrajā

Translation

ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ! ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഭക്തിയോടെ മനോഹരമായ ദീപം അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവനിൽ ദേഹജന്യമായ മഹാതേജസ്—അന്തര്പ്രകാശം—പ്രകടമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/देशवाचक) — indeclinable adverb of place

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — neuter, locative singular

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/समुच्चय-व्यतिरेकसूचक) — particle (but/indeed)

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

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — feminine, instrumental singular

• दद्यात्: should give/offer
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — optative, parasmaipada, 3rd sg

• दीपम्: a lamp
• दीपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — masculine, accusative singular

• सुशोभनम्: very beautiful/splendid
• सुशोभनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण (qualifying) of ‘दीपम्’

• जायते: is born/arises
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — present, ātmanepada, 3rd sg

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — masculine, genitive singular (of him)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन — masculine, vocative singular; समास: राजन् + इन्द्र (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• महादीप्तिः: great radiance
• महादीप्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादीप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — feminine, nominative singular; समास: महा + दीप्ति (कर्मधारय)

• शारीरजा: born from the body/physical
• शारीरजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शारीर-जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — feminine, nominative singular; विशेषण of ‘महादीप्तिः’; समास: शरीरात्/शारीर + जा (तत्पुरुष; ‘born from the body’)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (addressing a king: rājendra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: (Unnamed in this verse) Revā-tīrtha of the preceding context

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a riverbank tīrtha offers a beautifully decorated lamp; the flame reflects on the water while a subtle aura of radiance surrounds the donor.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied by nearby “śivamandirāt” in 175.19)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offering light with devotion symbolizes awakening; such dāna yields inner and outer radiance as a fruit of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same tīrtha in Adhyāya 175, presented as a place where dīpa-dāna produces extraordinary merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīpa-dāna (offering a lamp) performed with devotion at the tīrtha.