Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

सर्वदानोत्तरं चैव चातुर्मास्ये न संशयः । सर्वमासकृतं पापं चातुर्मास्ये शुभाशुभम्

Transliteration

sarvadānottaraṃ caiva cāturmāsye na saṃśayaḥ | sarvamāsakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ cāturmāsye śubhāśubham

Translation

ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ (അതിന്റെ ഫലം) എല്ലാ ദാനങ്ങളെയും അതിക്രമിക്കുന്നു—ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല. എല്ലാ മാസങ്ങളിലും സഞ്ചിതമായ പാപം, ‘ശുഭ’മോ ‘അശുഭ’മോ ആയ കർമ്മങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുണ്ടായതായാലും, ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ ക്ഷയിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सर्वदानोत्तरम्: superior to all gifts
• सर्वदानोत्तरम्: Pradhāna-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + दान + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sarvadānānām uttaram = superior to all gifts)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis (बल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not, no
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वमासकृतम्: done in all months / throughout the months
• सर्वमासकृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + मास + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sarvamāsasya kṛtam = done throughout the month / in all months)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma/Pradhāna (Object or predicate theme/कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुभाशुभम्: good and bad (both)
• शुभाशुभम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ + अशुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (śubhaṃ ca aśubhaṃ ca)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Cāturmāsya vow-holder offers lamps, food, and cloth to pilgrims and ascetics while rain clouds hover; a ledger-like motif of months dissolves into light, symbolizing the clearing of accumulated sins.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time-sanctified observance (Cāturmāsya) is exalted as extraordinarily purifying—capable of addressing accumulated karmic burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the glorification is of the sacred season (Cāturmāsya) within tīrtha-oriented dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cāturmāsya-vrata is implied as superior even to extensive dāna; the verse motivates observance for purification.