Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

दानं दद्याद्यथाशक्त्या नियतो हृष्टमानसः । अनेकभवसंभूतात्कल्मषादखिलादपि

Transliteration

dānaṃ dadyādyathāśaktyā niyato hṛṣṭamānasaḥ | anekabhavasaṃbhūtātkalmaṣādakhilādapi

Translation

യഥാശക്തി ദാനം നൽകണം; നിയന്ത്രിതനായി, ഹർഷിതമനസ്സോടെ—അനേകം ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു സമ്പാദിച്ച സമസ്ത പാപസമൂഹത്തിൽ നിന്നുമുപോലും।

Word by Word

• दानम्: a gift/charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यथाशक्त्या: according to (one’s) ability
• यथाशक्त्या: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; अर्थः—यथाशक्ति (according to ability)

• नियतः: disciplined/regulated
• नियतः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियत (कृदन्त; नि-√यम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्तरि)

• हृष्टमानसः: one whose mind is joyful
• हृष्टमानसः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष्ट (कृदन्त; √हृष्) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (हृष्टं मानसं यस्य सः)

• अनेकभवसंभूतात्: from (sin) arisen from many births
• अनेकभवसंभूतात्: Apādāna (Ablative source)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + भव (प्रातिपदिक) + संभूत (कृदन्त; सम्-√भू)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कल्मषात्) — ‘arisen from many births’

• कल्मषात्: from sin/impurity
• कल्मषात्: Apādāna (Ablative source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्मष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन

• अखिलात्: from all (of it)
• अखिलात्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कल्मषात्)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक (also/even)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined pilgrim, serene and smiling, offers alms—food, cloth, coins—after worship; recipients bless him; the mood is clean and sattvic.

Characters & Entities

• dāna
• kalmaṣa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna offered with discipline and gladness becomes a powerful purifier of long-standing karmic impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears; the merit is tied to the observance and ethical act of giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give charity proportionate to one’s means, while maintaining niyama (discipline) and a joyful disposition.