Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ददौ त्रैविद्यमुख्येभ्यः श्रद्धया परया पुनः । ताम्रपट्टस्थितं रामशासनं लोपयेत्तु यः

Transliteration

dadau traividyamukhyebhyaḥ śraddhayā parayā punaḥ | tāmrapaṭṭasthitaṃ rāmaśāsanaṃ lopayettu yaḥ

Translation

അവൻ പരമശ്രദ്ധയോടെ വീണ്ടും ത്രിവേദജ്ഞരായ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കു ദാനങ്ങൾ നൽകി. താമ്രപട്ടത്തിൽ ലിഖിതമായ രാമശാസനം മായ്ക്കുകയോ ലോപിപ്പിക്കുകയോ ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ മഹാപാപി ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; धातुः—दा (to give)

• त्रैविद्य-मुख्येभ्यः: to the chief (priests) of the three Vedas
• त्रैविद्य-मुख्येभ्यः: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैविद्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया? (न) — चतुर्थीविभक्तिः (4th/Dative), बहुवचनम्; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रैविद्यस्य मुख्याः)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• परया: supreme, great
• परया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्—श्रद्धया

• पुनः: again, further
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• ताम्रपट्ट-स्थितम्: situated on a copper plate
• ताम्रपट्ट-स्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ताम्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पट्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; कृदन्तः—क्त (past participle) ‘स्थित’; समासः—सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (ताम्रपट्टे स्थितम्)

• राम-शासनम्: Rama’s edict/inscription
• राम-शासनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक) + शासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (रामस्य शासनम्)

• लोपयेत्: should erase/destroy
• लोपयेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लुप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; धातुः—लुप् (to erase/destroy) (णिच् causative sense implied: ‘cause to disappear’)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• यः: who (ever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Vyāsa/Sūta in third-person narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, calm and regal, offers gifts to learned brāhmaṇas; beside them a copper-plate charter (tāmrapaṭṭa) is displayed, symbolizing inviolable dharma; a shadowy figure suggests the taboo of effacing the inscription.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Brāhmaṇas (Traividyas)
• Tāmrapaṭṭa (copper-plate grant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed with śraddhā toward Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas is upheld as dharma, and sacred endowments must be protected, not violated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra (Dharmāraṇya sacred region) is implied as the protected holy field whose institutions are secured by Rāma’s decree.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna—donation/gifting to the foremost Traividya Brāhmaṇas—done with supreme faith.