Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

यो दद्यादयने कौर्मं हेमकूर्मसमन्वितम् । गोसहस्रप्रदानस्य स फलं प्राप्नुयान्नरः

Transliteration

yo dadyādayane kaurmaṃ hemakūrmasamanvitam | gosahasrapradānasya sa phalaṃ prāpnuyānnaraḥ

Translation

അയനകാലത്ത് സ്വർണ്ണകൂർമസഹിതമായ ‘കൗർമ’ ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ, ആയിരം ഗോദാനം ചെയ്തതിനു തുല്യമായ പുണ്യഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും।

Word by Word

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

• दद्याद्: should give
• दद्याद्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• अयने: at the solstice (ayana)
• अयने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• कौर्मम्: a tortoise (Kūrma) item/figure
• कौर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• हेमकूर्मसमन्वितम्: accompanied with a golden tortoise
• हेमकूर्मसमन्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम + कूर्म + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्+अन्वि (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (हेमकूर्मेण/हेमकूर्मैः समन्वितम्) (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• गोसहस्रप्रदानस्य: of the gift of a thousand cows
• गोसहस्रप्रदानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + सहस्र + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गोसहस्रस्य प्रदानम्) (Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

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

• प्राप्नुयात्: would obtain
• प्राप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kūrma-dāna (associated with Kūrma-avatāra remembrance)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor at a solstitial rite offers a small golden tortoise on a tray to a brāhmaṇa, with the sun at a turning point (ayana), sacred fire, and Prabhāsa coastal-temple ambience in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Ayana
• Hema-kūrma (golden tortoise)
• Go-sahasra (thousand cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Symbolic, time-aligned charity can carry immense merit—Purāṇas equate specific dānas with great traditional gifts like go-sahasra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded within Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, implying such acts are especially meritorious in the Prabhāsa sacred sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

At an ayana (solar turning), perform Kaurma-dāna with a golden tortoise; its fruit equals donating a thousand cows.