Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

पौषशुक्लत्रयोदश्यां लब्धं शासनकं द्विजैः । बलिप्रदानं तु कृतमुद्दिश्य कुलदेवताम्

Transliteration

pauṣaśuklatrayodaśyāṃ labdhaṃ śāsanakaṃ dvijaiḥ | balipradānaṃ tu kṛtamuddiśya kuladevatām

Translation

പൗഷ ശുക്ല ത്രയോദശിയിൽ ദ്വിജർ രാജശാസനപത്രം ലഭിച്ചു; കുലദേവതയെ ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച് വിധിപൂർവ്വം ബലിപ്രദാനം നടന്നു.

Word by Word

• पौष: of (the month) Pauṣa
• पौष: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; मासनाम (implicit: पौषस्य)

• शुक्ल: of the bright (fortnight)
• शुक्ल: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; पक्षविशेषण (implicit: शुक्लस्य)

• त्रयोदश्याम्: on the thirteenth (lunar day)
• त्रयोदश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयोदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• लब्धम्: was obtained
• लब्धम्: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु) → लब्ध (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here with śāsanakam (predicate)

• शासनकम्: a decree / written order
• शासनकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शासनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• द्विजैः: by the twice-born
• द्विजैः: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• बलिप्रदानम्: offering of bali (oblation)
• बलिप्रदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• कृतम्: was done
• कृतम्: Kriya (Action/result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘सम्पन्नम्’ अर्थे

• उद्दिश्य: intending / addressing
• उद्दिश्य: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + दिश् (धातु) → उद्दिश्य (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘उद्देश्य/aiming at’

• कुलदेवताम्: the family deity
• कुलदेवताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुलदेवता (प्रातिपदिक; कुल + देवता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Brāhma Khaṇḍa context; exact speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Pauṣa śukla trayodaśī, brahmins receive a royal charter on palm-leaf or copperplate; nearby, a bali offering is placed with lamps and flowers before the kula-devatā’s emblem or shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Pauṣa (month)
• Śukla Trayodaśī
• Kuladevatā
• Śāsanaka (charter)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is sustained by both rightful social order (charters and grants) and devotional gratitude (bali to the kuladevatā).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits in the Dharmāraṇya narrative stream; the ritual marks the sanctified settlement tradition tied to that region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bali-pradāna (ritual offering) dedicated to the kuladevatā on Pauṣa śukla trayodaśī.