Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

नान्यथा पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ एकस्मिन्नपि वासरे । अदत्तस्य तव प्राप्तिः सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्

Transliteration

nānyathā pārthivaśreṣṭha ekasminnapi vāsare | adattasya tava prāptiḥ satyametanmayoditam

Translation

ഹേ രാജശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ഇതു മറ്റെങ്ങനെ ആകുകയില്ല; ഒരു ദിവസമെങ്കിലും ദാനം ചെയ്യാതിരുന്നാൽ നിനക്കു യാതൊരു പ്രാപ്തിയും ഉണ്ടാകില്ല. ഇതു ഞാൻ പറഞ്ഞ സത്യം.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• पार्थिवश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva-śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक; पार्थिव + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: पार्थिवानां श्रेष्ठः)

• एकस्मिन्: in one
• एकस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण (to वासर)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• वासरे: on a day
• वासरे: Adhikarana (Time-locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• अदत्तस्य: of what is not given
• अदत्तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-datta (कृदन्त; √dā (दा) + क्त, नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; पुं/नपुंसक-सम्भव; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; अर्थः ‘न दत्त’ (not given)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्राप्तिः: attainment/obtaining
• प्राप्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-instrument/कर्तृ-करणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• उदितम्: spoken/uttered
• उदितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udita (कृदन्त; √vad (वद्) / √ud (उद्) + क्त; here sense ‘said/uttered’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; एतत् इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthivaśreṣṭha (a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral instruction scene: a revered speaker admonishes a king that without giving, no spiritual attainment arises even for a day; the king appears contemplative, chastened.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• King

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity is not optional ornamentation; it is a decisive karmic condition for relief and spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the teaching is presented within a tīrtha-māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is regular dāna; without giving, no beneficial result is obtained.