Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

गोदानेन च यत्पुण्यं पात्राय विधिपूर्वकम् । सत्कृत्य भिक्षवे भिक्षां दत्त्वा तत्फलमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

godānena ca yatpuṇyaṃ pātrāya vidhipūrvakam | satkṛtya bhikṣave bhikṣāṃ dattvā tatphalamāpnuyāt

Translation

വിധിപൂർവം യോഗ്യപാത്രനു ഗോദാനം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യം, ഭിക്ഷുവിനെ ആദരിച്ച് ഭക്തിപൂർവം ഭിക്ഷ നൽകുന്നതിലൂടെയും അതേ ഫലമായി ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• गोदानेन: by the gift of a cow
• गोदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदान (प्रातिपदिक) = गो (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, एकवचन; गो-दान इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (cow-gift)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण ‘पुण्यम्’ इत्यस्य

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पात्राय: to a worthy recipient
• पात्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विधिपूर्वकम्: according to proper procedure
• विधिपूर्वकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिपूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक) = विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग-एकवचन-प्रथमा/द्वितीया रूपं, अर्थतः अव्यय (duly/according to rule)

• सत्कृत्य: having honored
• सत्कृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु) → सत्कृत्य (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); ‘कृ’ धातोः, पूर्वकर्मसूचक

• भिक्षवे: to a mendicant
• भिक्षवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भिक्षाम्: alms
• भिक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म) विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) ‘दा’ धातोः

• तत्फलम्: that result
• तत्फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म) विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्-फल इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• आप्नुयात्: may obtain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder in Kāśī respectfully welcomes a saffron-clad mendicant, offers water and alms; in the background a cow with a garland symbolizes go-dāna equivalence; Gaṅgā-ghāṭa ambience implied.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respectful almsgiving to a worthy mendicant can equal the famed merit of cow-donation when done with proper reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is the broader sacred setting of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where dharma such as dāna is praised as especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give bhikṣā (alms/food) to a bhikṣu after satkāra (honoring), paralleling the prescribed method (vidhi) of go-dāna to a pātra.