Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

वित्तं न्यायार्जितं दत्तं स्वल्पं तत्र महाफलम् । स्नानेनापि हि तत्तीर्थे रुद्रस्यानुचरो भवेत्

Transliteration

vittaṃ nyāyārjitaṃ dattaṃ svalpaṃ tatra mahāphalam | snānenāpi hi tattīrthe rudrasyānucaro bhavet

Translation

ന്യായമായി സമ്പാദിച്ച ധനം, അല്പമായാലും അവിടെ ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ മഹാഫലം നൽകുന്നു. അതേ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മാത്രവും മനുഷ്യൻ രുദ്രന്റെ അനുചരനാകും.

Word by Word

• वित्तम्: wealth
• वित्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (elliptic: 'wealth given...')
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न्यायार्जितम्: earned by justice/right means
• न्यायार्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्जित (कृदन्त; √अर्ज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वित्तम् इत्यस्य विशेषण; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (न्यायेन/न्यायात् अर्जितम्)

• दत्तम्: given, donated
• दत्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दत्त (कृदन्त; √दा (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वित्तम् इत्यस्य विशेषण

• स्वल्पम्: small (in amount)
• स्वल्पम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वित्तम् इत्यस्य विशेषण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• महाफलम्: of great fruit/result
• महाफलम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वित्तम्/दानम् इत्यस्य विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• स्नानेन: by bathing
• स्नानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थ-निपात (particle: also/even)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• तत्-तीर्थे: in that sacred ford/place
• तत्-तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (तत् तीर्थम्)

• रुद्रस्य: of Rudra
• रुद्रस्य: Sambandha (Relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अनुचरः: attendant, follower
• अनुचरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुचर (प्रातिपदिक; अनु + √चर् (धातु) + अ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become/should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya tīrtha (unspecified)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at a sacred ford, then offers a small but pure donation to a priest/poor person; behind, a subtle vision of Rudra/Śiva indicates the ‘anucara’ blessing.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Tīrtha
• Snāna
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of means and sacred context magnify merit; tīrtha-snāna and righteous charity align one with Rudra’s path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Rudra-associated tīrtha within the Dharmāraṇya circuit (the chapter’s described pilgrimage landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give even small charity from honestly earned wealth, and perform snāna in the specified tīrtha.