Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

मार्गस्थितस्य यो धन्यः प्रयच्छति कमण्डलु्म् । प्रपादानसहस्रस्य फलमाप्नोति मानवः

Transliteration

mārgasthitasya yo dhanyaḥ prayacchati kamaṇḍalu्m | prapādānasahasrasya phalamāpnoti mānavaḥ

Translation

വഴിയിലുള്ള യാത്രക്കാരന് ധന്യൻ കമണ്ഡലു (ജലപാത്രം) നൽകുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, ആ മനുഷ്യൻ ആയിരം പ്രപകൾ (ജലവിശ്രമസ്ഥലങ്ങൾ) സ്ഥാപിച്ചതിന്റെ ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मार्गस्थितस्य: of (one) standing on the road / of the wayfarer
• मार्गस्थितस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थित (कृदन्त, √स्था धातु)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); ‘मार्गे स्थित’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः, कृदन्त-विशेषणम्

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

• धन्यः: fortunate, blessed
• धन्यः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate/qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• प्रयच्छति: gives, offers
• प्रयच्छति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कमण्डलुम्: a water-pot (kamaṇḍalu)
• कमण्डलुम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमण्डलु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• प्रपादानसहस्रस्य: of a thousand (acts of) giving sandals/footwear
• प्रपादानसहस्रस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपादान (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); ‘प्रपादानानां सहस्रम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• फलम्: the fruit, merit
• फलम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• मानवः: a man, person
• मानवः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (yātrā-mārga context)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sunlit road: a pilgrim pauses, parched; a donor offers a kamaṇḍalu brimming with water. In the background, a symbolic panorama of many prapās appears like a mirage, indicating ‘thousand prapās’ merit.

Characters & Entities

• Kamaṇḍalu
• Prapā
• Dvārakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Providing water to travelers is a high form of compassion and dharma, equated with large-scale public welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dvārakā pilgrimage context frames the verse, emphasizing aid given on the route to the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kamaṇḍalu-dāna/jala-dāna: giving a water vessel (and thus water support) to travelers.