Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अन्यस्मै न प्रदातव्यं प्रदत्तं नैव हारयेत् । चातुर्मास्येषु यः शय्यां द्विजाग्र्याय प्रयच्छति

Transliteration

anyasmai na pradātavyaṃ pradattaṃ naiva hārayet | cāturmāsyeṣu yaḥ śayyāṃ dvijāgryāya prayacchati

Translation

അത് മറ്റൊരാൾക്ക് നൽകരുത്; നൽകിയതു തിരികെ പിടിക്കയും അരുത്. ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ബ്രാഹ്മണനു ശയ്യ ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ—

Word by Word

• अन्यस्मै: to another (person)
• अन्यस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation)

• प्रदातव्यम्: to be given (should be given)
• प्रदातव्यम्: Vidhi (Prohibition/निषेध-विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√dā (धातु) + tavya (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य (gerundive: ought to be given), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रदत्तम्: what has been given
• प्रदत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pra-√dā (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle used substantively), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation)

• एव: at all, indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• हारयेत्: should take away/should cause to be taken away
• हारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛ (धातु) + ṇic (णिच् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्; णिजन्त (causative: ‘cause to take away’)

• चातुर्मास्येषु: during the Cāturmāsya months/observances
• चातुर्मास्येषु: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• शय्याम्: a bed
• शय्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śayyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विजाग्र्याय: to the foremost Brahmin
• द्विजाग्र्याय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + agrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (descriptive: ‘best of the twice-born’), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रयच्छति: gives, offers
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor respectfully offers a prepared bed (śayyā) with bedding to a venerable brāhmaṇa during the monsoon vow-season; attendants carry linens and mats.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Śayyā-dāna (gift of a bed)
• Dvjāgrya (foremost Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True charity is steadfast: a gift should not be redirected or reclaimed, especially when given as dharma during sacred time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives Cāturmāsya charity rules within the pilgrimage-mahātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During Cāturmāsya, offer śayyā-dāna to a worthy Brāhmaṇa; do not take back what has been donated.