Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

एकमेतत्प्रदातव्यं न बहूनां युधिष्ठिर । सा च विक्रयमापन्ना दहत्यासप्तमं कुलम्

Transliteration

ekametatpradātavyaṃ na bahūnāṃ yudhiṣṭhira | sā ca vikrayamāpannā dahatyāsaptamaṃ kulam

Translation

ഹേ യുധിഷ്ഠിരാ! ഈ ദാനം ഒറ്റയായിട്ടു (അഖണ്ഡമായി) നൽകേണ്ടതാണ്; പലർക്കായി വിഭജിക്കരുത്. അത്തരം ദാനം വിറ്റാൽ, ഏഴാം തലമുറവരെ വംശത്തെ ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ekam: one (single)
• ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (demonstrative)

• pradātavyam: should be given
• pradātavyam: Vidhi (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√dā (दा) + -tavya (कृत्)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृत्य (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate: "to be given")

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

• bahūnām: of many (persons)
• bahūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of many)

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhira: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संबोधन (vocative address)

• sā: she/that (thing)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (she/that)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vikrayam: sale, selling
• vikrayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (object of motion/attainment)

• āpannā: having come to, fallen into
• āpannā: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√pad (पद्) (कृत्: क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृत् (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (having fallen into/entered)

• dahati: burns, destroys
• dahati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dah (दह्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ā: up to
• ā: Sambandha (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधी/पर्यन्त-बोधक (up to, until)

• saptamam: seventh
• saptamam: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• kulam: family, lineage
• kulam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

A Purāṇic narrator instructing Yudhiṣṭhira (deduced from vocative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-maṇḍala

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn instruction scene: an elder dharma-teacher addressing Yudhiṣṭhira; in the background a tīrtha setting with riverbank and ritual implements, emphasizing the gravity of selling a consecrated gift and its lineage-burning consequence.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred gifts must not be commodified; treating dāna as merchandise corrupts dharma and brings severe familial consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse is a dharma injunction within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give the specified dāna as a single whole (not split among many) and do not sell what is given as sacred charity.