Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

कन्यादान फलं तस्य नात्र कार्या विचारणा । क्षीरेण स्नापयेद्देवं तथा पंचामृतेन यः

Transliteration

kanyādāna phalaṃ tasya nātra kāryā vicāraṇā | kṣīreṇa snāpayeddevaṃ tathā paṃcāmṛtena yaḥ

Translation

അവന് കന്യാദാനത്തിന്റെ ഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു—ഇതിൽ സംശയം വേണ്ട. പാലാൽ ദേവനെ സ്നാനിപ്പിക്കുകയും, അതുപോലെ പഞ്ചാമൃതത്താലും അഭിഷേകം ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ ആ പുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कन्यादान: gift of a maiden (kanyādāna)
• कन्यादान: Visheshya (Head-term/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘कन्यायाः दानम्’

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘कन्यादान-फलम्’ इति समासार्थे विशेष्य

• तस्य: of that / its
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• कार्या: to be done / necessary
• कार्या: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ + यत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण—‘कर्तव्या’ (to be done)

• विचारणा: consideration/inquiry
• विचारणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• क्षीरेण: with milk
• क्षीरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus/likewise)

• पंचामृतेन: with pañcāmṛta (five-nectar mixture)
• पंचामृतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः—‘पञ्चानाम् अमृतानाम् समाहारः’ (five-nectar mixture)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśa / Kumāreśvara-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a seaside Śaiva sanctum, devotees pour streams of milk and then pañcāmṛta over the liṅga of Kumāreśvara; vessels of honey, curd, ghee, sugar are arranged; priests chant while lamps flicker.

Characters & Entities

• kanyādāna
• kṣīra (milk)
• pañcāmṛta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional offerings to the deity at a famed tīrtha can confer the merit of major dharmic gifts when done with faith and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kumāreśvara-tīrtha, where such abhiṣeka is proclaimed highly meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka of the deity with milk (kṣīra) and with pañcāmṛta.