Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 117

Devanagari script

जायते नात्र सन्देहो यस्माद्दानमनुत्तमम् । गन्धधूपं तु या नारी भक्त्या विप्राय दापयेत्

Transliteration

jāyate nātra sandeho yasmāddānamanuttamam | gandhadhūpaṃ tu yā nārī bhaktyā viprāya dāpayet

Translation

ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല—ഈ ദാനം അനുത്തമം. ഭക്തിയോടെ ബ്രാഹ്മണനു സുഗന്ധവും ധൂപവും അർപ്പിപ്പിക്കുന്ന സ്ത്രീ മഹാപുണ്യഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• jāyate: arises/is produced
• jāyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु √जन्)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (intransitive/passive sense)

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• atra: here/in this matter
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• sandehaḥ: doubt
• sandehaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdeha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• yasmāt: because (from which reason)
• yasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; हेतु-अर्थे (ablative of cause: 'because of/for the reason that')

• dānam: gift/charity
• dānam: Karta/karma (Subject or Object by context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन

• anuttamam: unsurpassed, excellent
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying dānam)

• gandhadhūpam: fragrance and incense
• gandhadhūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha + dhūpa (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (gandhaś ca dhūpaś ca)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (emphatic/contrast particle)

• yā: who (the woman who)
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• nārī: woman
• nārī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-अर्थे (by/with devotion)

• viprāya: to a Brahmin
• viprāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th case), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान (recipient)

• dāpayet: should cause to be given / should give (by arranging)
• dāpayet: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dāpaya (णिच् causative of dā धातु √दा)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: रेवा-तीर्थ (नर्मदा-क्षेत्र)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: देवी (उमा/पार्वती)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: नर्मदा-तट के तीर्थ में एक श्रद्धालु नारी ब्राह्मण को गन्ध और धूप अर्पित कर रही है; पास में कलश, पुष्प, दीप, और धूप-धूम्र की लहरें।

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti-infused giving—especially offerings that support worship and purity—is praised as exceptionally meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa context links these practices to the sacral pilgrimage ethos surrounding the Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gifting gandha (perfume) and dhūpa (incense) to a vipra (Brāhmaṇa) with devotion.