Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

फलदानं प्रशंसंति तत्र ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः । वंध्यानां च विशेषेण यतः पुत्रफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

phaladānaṃ praśaṃsaṃti tatra brāhmaṇasattamāḥ | vaṃdhyānāṃ ca viśeṣeṇa yataḥ putraphalaṃ labhet

Translation

അവിടെ ബ്രാഹ്മണശ്രേഷ്ഠർ ഫലദാനത്തെ പ്രശംസിക്കുന്നു. പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് സന്താനമില്ലാത്ത സ്ത്രീകൾക്ക്; കാരണം അതിലൂടെ പുത്രഫലം എന്ന സന്താനഫലം ലഭിക്കാം.

Word by Word

• फलदानम्: gift of fruit
• फलदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (फलस्य दानम्) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• प्रशंसन्ति: praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: the best of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; (ब्राह्मणाः सत्तमाः) कर्मधारय

• वन्ध्यानाम्: of barren women
• वन्ध्यानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction: and)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (instrumental used adverbially); क्रियाविशेषण (especially)

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (because/from which)

• पुत्रफलम्: the fruit of a son (offspring)
• पुत्रफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (पुत्रस्य फलम्) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• लभेत्: may obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aviyukta-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the sacred precinct, brāhmaṇas praise fruit-gifting; a childless woman offers a basket of fruits with folded hands, receiving blessings; the kṣetra’s grove/shrine stands behind.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity aligned with place and tradition—here, fruit-giving—becomes spiritually potent and is praised by the learned.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Aviyukta-kṣetra māhātmya context in Arbuda Khaṇḍa (the local sacred field being praised).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Phaladāna (donation of fruits), highlighted as especially beneficial for seeking putra-phala (the blessing of offspring).