Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

हेमधेन्वायुतं तच्च ब्रह्मलोकफलप्रदम् । चतुर्लक्षमिदं प्रोक्तं व्यासेनाद्भुतकर्मणा

Transliteration

hemadhenvāyutaṃ tacca brahmalokaphalapradam | caturlakṣamidaṃ proktaṃ vyāsenādbhutakarmaṇā

Translation

ആ ദാനം പത്തായിരം സ്വർണ്ണധേനുക്കൾക്കു തുല്യവും ബ്രഹ്മലോകഫലം നൽകുന്നതുമാകുന്നു. അത്ഭുതകർമ്മനായ വ്യാസൻ ഈ നാലുലക്ഷം (ശ്ലോകങ്ങളുടെ) സമാഹാരം പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• हेम-धेनु-आयुतम्: a myriad (ten-thousand) of golden cows
• हेम-धेनु-आयुतम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक) + धेनु (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• ब्रह्मलोक-फल-प्रदम्: granting the fruit of Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोक-फल-प्रदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• चतुर्-लक्षम्: four lakhs (400,000)
• चतुर्-लक्षम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या) + लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदं (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रोक्तम्: was declared/said
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (passive sense)

• व्यासेन: by Vyāsa
• व्यासेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अद्भुत-कर्मणा: of wondrous deeds
• अद्भुत-कर्मणा: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective) व्यासस्य

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (twice-born sages/audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-assembly at Prabhāsa listens as the narrator extols a gift equal to ten thousand golden cows and praises Vyāsa’s wondrous authorship; in the background, a coastal shrine atmosphere evokes Somnātha/Prabhāsa sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Brahmaloka
• hema-dhenu (golden cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna is portrayed as a dharmic power that can elevate one to higher worlds, while Vyāsa’s compilation anchors the tradition’s authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The overarching glorification remains Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the verse itself emphasizes dāna-phala and textual authority.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A high-magnitude dāna metaphor: merit comparable to gifting ten thousand golden cows, yielding Brahmaloka reward.