Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

दत्तं पात्रमतिक्रम्य यदपात्रे प्रतिग्रहः । तद्दत्तं गामतिक्रम्य गर्दभस्य गवाह्निकम्

Transliteration

dattaṃ pātramatikramya yadapātre pratigrahaḥ | taddattaṃ gāmatikramya gardabhasya gavāhnikam

Translation

യോഗ്യ പാത്രനെ മറികടന്ന് അയോഗ്യൻ ദാനം സ്വീകരിച്ചാൽ, അത് പശുവിനെ വിട്ട് പശുവിന്റെ ദിനപങ്ക് കഴുതയ്ക്ക് കൊടുത്തതുപോലെ ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• दत्तम्: given (gift)
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म-विशेषण (that which is given)

• पात्रम्: a worthy recipient/vessel
• पात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अतिक्रम्य: having bypassed/overstepped
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (that which)

• अपात्रे: in an unworthy (recipient)
• अपात्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; नञ्-निषेध (unworthy person)

• प्रतिग्रहः: acceptance (of the gift)
• प्रतिग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; निर्देशक (that)

• दत्तम्: given (gift)
• दत्तम्: Visheshya/Vidhaya (Correlative predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; (that) given

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अतिक्रम्य: having bypassed
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• गर्दभस्य: of a donkey
• गर्दभस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्दभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• गवाह्निकम्: a cow’s daily ration/portion (given to a donkey)
• गवाह्निकम्: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + आह्निक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गवाम् आह्निकम् = daily allowance/portion of cows)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pastoral moral tableau: a cow stands neglected while a donkey is being fed a measured ration; a donor looks conflicted, while a worthy brāhmaṇa stands aside, illustrating the ‘bypassing’ of the proper recipient.

Characters & Entities

• pātra
• apātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit is lost when charity ignores worthiness; misdirected giving is compared to wasting nourishment on the wrong creature.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where proper dāna is presented as a key practice for pilgrims seeking lasting punya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not bypass a pātra; avoid apātra-pratigraha (gift acceptance by the unworthy).