Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

सौम्ये तु काञ्चनं दद्यादीशाने घृतमेव च । प्रदद्याद्यमराजो मे प्रीयतामित्युदीरयन्

Transliteration

saumye tu kāñcanaṃ dadyādīśāne ghṛtameva ca | pradadyādyamarājo me prīyatāmityudīrayan

Translation

സൗമ്യ (ഉത്തര) ദിക്കിൽ കാഞ്ചനം (സ്വർണം) ദാനം ചെയ്യണം; ഈശാന (വടക്കുകിഴക്ക്) ദിക്കിൽ ഘൃതവും നൽകണം. ദാതാവ് ‘യമരാജൻ എനിക്കു പ്രസന്നനാകട്ടെ’ എന്നു ഉച്ചരിച്ചു ദാനം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• saumye: in the northern quarter (Saumya)
• saumye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saumya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (दिशानाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular (in the north)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• kāñcanam: gold
• kāñcanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada; ‘should give’

• īśāne: in the north-east (Īśāna quarter)
• īśāne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (दिशानाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular (in the north-east)

• ghṛtam: ghee
• ghṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle: only/indeed)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: and)

• pradadyāt: should offer
• pradadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada; उपसर्ग ‘प्र’ सहित; ‘should offer/give forth’

• yama-rājaḥ: King Yama
• yama-rājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (यमस्य राजा)

• me: my/of me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; enclitic genitive ‘of me/my’

• prīyatām: may (he) be pleased
• prīyatām: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prī (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘let (him) be pleased’

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-प्रयोग (quotative particle)

• udīrayan: uttering
• udīrayan: Karta (Agent of uttering/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud + īr (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘uttering/saying’ (concomitant action)

Speaker

Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator prescribing the concluding directional offerings and dedication formula for Yama-śānti.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a riverbank altar, the donor places a small gold piece to the north and a ghee vessel to the northeast; the brāhmaṇa witnesses as the donor speaks the Yama-pleasing formula.

Characters & Entities

• Yamarāja
• Gold (kāñcana)
• Ghee (ghṛta)
• Īśāna (northeast direction)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity is sealed by intention and dedication; the rite culminates in consciously offering merit for Yama’s appeasement and moral purification.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a ritual conclusion within Revā-khaṇḍa and does not directly praise a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Place/offer gold in the north and ghee in the northeast, and recite the dedication: “yamarājo me prīyatām” (May Yamarāja be pleased with me).