Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अद्य वै द्वादश समाः शून्यागारमनाथवत् । यस्माच्च दीर्घिकायां मे स्नानदानोद्यतो जनः

Transliteration

adya vai dvādaśa samāḥ śūnyāgāramanāthavat | yasmācca dīrghikāyāṃ me snānadānodyato janaḥ

Translation

ഇന്ന് പൂർണ്ണ പന്ത്രണ്ടു വർഷമായി; ഈ സ്ഥലം രക്ഷകനില്ലാത്ത ശൂന്യഗൃഹംപോലെ കിടക്കുന്നു. കാരണം എന്റെ ദീർഘികയിൽ സ്നാനവും ദാനവും ചെയ്യാൻ ഉത്സുകരായ ജനങ്ങൾ ഇനി വരുന്നതില്ല.

Word by Word

• adya: today, now
• adya: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• dvādaśa: twelve
• dvādaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; (अव्ययवत्/अविकारी) प्रथमा (1st) बहुवचनार्थे; विशेषण (of samāḥ)

• samāḥ: years
• samāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (in nominal sentence)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘वर्ष’ अर्थे

• śūnyāgāram: an empty house
• śūnyāgāram: Karma/Predicate complement (सम्प्रदान/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūnya + āgāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (शून्यम् आगारम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; here as predicate-noun with implied ‘asti’

• anāthavat: like one without a protector
• anāthavat: Upamāna (Simile marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anātha + vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वत्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययवत् उपमानवाचक (like/as)

• yasmāt: from which, because of which
• yasmāt: Apādāna/Hetu (Cause/Source/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध/हेतु (from which/because)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• dīrghikāyām: in the pond/tank
• dīrghikāyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīrghikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• snānadānodyataḥ: intent on bathing and giving (charity)
• snānadānodyataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snāna + dāna + udyata (प्रातिपदिक; ud-√yam (धातु) → udyata)
• Form: द्वन्द्व (snāna-dāna) + तत्पुरुष (udyataḥ = तत्परः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of janaḥ)

• janaḥ: a person, people (collectively)
• janaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra Adhidevatā (the presiding deity of Dharmāraṇya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dīrghikā

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A long, neglected tank with broken steps, no pilgrims, no lamps; a lone caretaker-like figure lamenting; the sense of twelve years passing shown by overgrowth and silence.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Dīrghikā (sacred tank/pond)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha thrives through snāna and dāna; when fear stops pilgrims, the sacred ecosystem declines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dīrghikā (long sacred pond) of Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) and dāna (charitable giving) at the Dīrghikā.