Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

अचलेश्वरसान्निध्ये ददौ सक्तूंस्ततो बहून् । सहिरण्यान्द्विजेन्द्राणां पशुपक्षिमृगेषु च

Transliteration

acaleśvarasānnidhye dadau saktūṃstato bahūn | sahiraṇyāndvijendrāṇāṃ paśupakṣimṛgeṣu ca

Translation

അചലേശ്വരസന്നിധിയിൽ അവൻ ധാരാളം സക്തു ദാനം ചെയ്തു. സ്വർണ്ണസഹിതം ബ്രാഹ്മണശ്രേഷ്ഠർക്കും, പശു-പക്ഷി-മൃഗങ്ങൾക്കും ആഹാരദാനമായി നൽകി.

Word by Word

• acaleśvara-sānnidhye: in the presence of Acaleśvara
• acaleśvara-sānnidhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acala + īśvara + sānnidhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: अचलेश्वरस्य सान्निध्ये

• dadau: gave
• dadau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• saktūn: parched grain/flour-balls
• saktūn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saktu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Sequence/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): then/thereafter

• bahūn: many
• bahūn: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण of सक्तून्

• sa-hiraṇyān: along with gold
• sa-hiraṇyān: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘with’) + hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; अव्ययीभाव: सह हिरण्यैः/हिरण्येन = ‘together with gold’ (qualifying gifts)

• dvijendrāṇām: of the best of Brahmins
• dvijendrāṇām: Sampradana (Recipient genitive/सम्प्रदान-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: द्विजानाम् इन्द्राः

• paśu-pakṣi-mṛgeṣu: among animals, birds, and beasts
• paśu-pakṣi-mṛgeṣu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu + pakṣin + mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व: पशवः च पक्षिणः च मृगाः च

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): and

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Acaleśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before the shrine of Acaleśvara, King Bhīma distributes bowls of saktu with gold to eminent brāhmaṇas, while attendants place food for cattle, birds, and forest animals around the temple precinct and nearby woodland.

Characters & Entities

• Acaleśvara
• dvijendra (brāhmaṇas)
• paśu
• pakṣi
• mṛga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dāna expands from social charity to universal compassion—honoring the deity while sustaining all living beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Acaleśvara is explicitly glorified; the gifts are offered in his sānnidhya within the Arbuda sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Saktu-dāna (offering parched flour) and hiraṇya-sahita dāna (charity with gold), including feeding animals and birds.