Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । वाक्प्रलापेन भो वत्स बहुनोक्तेन किं मया । सर्वपातकसंयुक्तो दद्याद्दानं द्विजन्मने

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | vākpralāpena bho vatsa bahunoktena kiṃ mayā | sarvapātakasaṃyukto dadyāddānaṃ dvijanmane

Translation

ശ്രീ മാർകണ്ഡേയൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ വത്സാ, വെറും വാക്കുപ്രലാപം കൊണ്ടു, ഞാൻ അധികം പറഞ്ഞാൽ എന്തു ഫലം? സർവ്വ പാതകങ്ങളോടുകൂടിയവനും ദ്വിജനു ദാനം നൽകണം।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वाक्प्रलापेन: by mere talk
• वाक्प्रलापेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक् (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रलाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वाचः प्रलापः)

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-अव्यय (vocative particle)

• वत्स: dear child
• वत्स: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• बहुना: with much
• बहुना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying उक्तेन)

• उक्तेन: by what is said
• उक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त; √वच् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘said’

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक-सर्वनाम

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• सर्वपातकसंयुक्तः: one afflicted with all sins
• सर्वपातकसंयुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त; √युज् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वैः पातकैः संयुक्तः)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दानम्: a gift/charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• द्विजन्मने: to a twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विजन्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (द्विजस्य जन्म) → ‘twice-born’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘Vatsa’ (child/disciple); Pārtha is addressed in adjacent verse-context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a young listener: stop idle talk, perform dāna; a devotee offers a gift respectfully to a learned Brāhmaṇa near a ghat.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brāhmaṇa (Dvija)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is fulfilled by actionable virtue—especially dāna—rather than empty discourse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to Revā-kṣetra’s tīrtha-dharma framework, where gifts are portrayed as especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give dāna to a worthy Brāhmaṇa, even when one seeks relief from accumulated sins.