Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

असतोऽपि समादाय साधुभ्यो यः प्रयच्छति । धनं स्वामिनमात्मानं संतारयति दुस्तरात्

Transliteration

asato'pi samādāya sādhubhyo yaḥ prayacchati | dhanaṃ svāminamātmānaṃ saṃtārayati dustarāt

Translation

അയോഗ്യമായ ഉറവിടത്തിൽ നിന്നെങ്കിലും ധനം സമാഹരിച്ചു സദ്ജനമായ സാധുക്കൾക്ക് അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവനെ, ആ ധനം തന്റെ ഉടമയോടുകൂടി ദുസ്തരമായ സംസാരസാഗരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് കടത്തിവിടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• असतः: from an improper source; from the wicked/untrue
• असतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Kriya-viseshana (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even/also particle)

• समादाय: having taken/obtained
• समादाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• साधुभ्यः: to the good/virtuous people
• साधुभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन

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

• प्रयच्छति: gives; bestows
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• धनम्: wealth; money
• धनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• स्वामिनम्: the master/lord (of that wealth)
• स्वामिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘धनं स्वामिनम्’ इति कर्म-द्वयम् (apposition)

• आत्मानम्: himself (the self)
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संतारयति: causes to cross; saves
• संतारयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + तॄ (धातु) + णिच्
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त

• दुस्तरात्: from the hard-to-cross (danger)
• दुस्तरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya narration style in Prabhāsakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A penitent donor offers a pouch of coins and cloth to serene sādhus near a coastal shrine; a symbolic river/ocean of saṃsāra behind them, with a small boat representing ‘crossing’.

Characters & Entities

• sādhu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Giving to the virtuous has purifying power and becomes a means to transcend saṃsāra, even when one’s wealth is ethically compromised.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), whose māhātmya frames dāna as a key purifier and merit-generator for pilgrims and householders.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna—specifically giving wealth to sādhus (worthy, virtuous recipients).