Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

परिलिख्य च यो दद्यात्सौवर्णकरिसंयुतम् । कार्तिक्यां पौण्डरीकस्य यज्ञस्य फलभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

parilikhya ca yo dadyātsauvarṇakarisaṃyutam | kārtikyāṃ pauṇḍarīkasya yajñasya phalabhāgbhavet

Translation

അത് നിയമപ്രകാരം പകർത്തെഴുതിച്ച് സ്വർണ്ണഹസ്തിയോടുകൂടി ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ പൗണ്ഡരീക യാഗഫലത്തിൽ പങ്കാളിയാകും।

Word by Word

• परिलिख्य: having inscribed
• परिलिख्य: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परि+लिख् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग; “having inscribed/drawn”

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

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

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सौवर्णकरिसंयुतम्: accompanied with a golden elephant
• सौवर्णकरिसंयुतम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौवर्ण + करि + संयुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सौवर्णेन करिणा संयुतम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम् (दानवस्तु)

• कार्तिक्याम्: in (the time of) Kārtikī
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; मास/तिथिवाचक (in Kārtikī)

• पौण्डरीकस्य: of the Pauṇḍarīka
• पौण्डरीकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौण्डरीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• यज्ञस्य: of the sacrifice
• यज्ञस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• फलभाग्: a sharer in the fruit (merit)
• फलभाग्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल + भागिन्/भाग् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (फलस्य भाग्); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘भाग्’ = भागवान् (share-holder)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor presents a freshly copied manuscript wrapped in cloth, alongside a small golden elephant icon, to a learned brāhmaṇa/ācārya near a temple courtyard during Kārtika; lamps and tulasī/temple flags suggest the season.

Characters & Entities

• Kārtika
• Pauṇḍarīka-yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional charity in Kārtika can confer merits comparable to great Vedic sacrifices, showing dāna as an accessible dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, implying Prabhāsa as a powerful setting for such meritorious acts.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate a properly copied sacred text along with a golden elephant during Kārtika to gain Pauṇḍarīka-yajña-like merit.