Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

अहिंसासदृशं पुण्यं दानात्संचयनं परम् । तपश्चानशनान्नास्ति तथा तीर्थनिषेवणात्

Transliteration

ahiṃsāsadṛśaṃ puṇyaṃ dānātsaṃcayanaṃ param | tapaścānaśanānnāsti tathā tīrthaniṣevaṇāt

Translation

അഹിംസയ്ക്കു തുല്യമായ പുണ്യമില്ല; ദാനത്തേക്കാൾ ഉന്നതമായ സഞ്ചയമില്ല. അനശനത്തേക്കാൾ വലിയ തപസ്സില്ല; അതുപോലെ തീർത്ഥനിഷേവണത്തേക്കാൾ ശ്രേഷ്ഠമൊന്നുമില്ല.

Word by Word

• ahiṃsā-sadṛśam: like non-violence
• ahiṃsā-sadṛśam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ahiṃsā (प्रातिपदिक) + sadṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ahiṃsāyāḥ sadṛśam = like non-violence); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicative with 'puṇyam'

• puṇyam: merit, virtue
• puṇyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dānāt: than giving (charity)
• dānāt: Apādāna (Standard of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (ablative/comparison ‘than’), एकवचन

• saṃcayanam: accumulation, storing up
• saṃcayanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃcayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• param: supreme, highest
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicate adjective with 'saṃcayanam'

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• anaśanāt: than fasting (not eating)
• anaśanāt: Apādāna (Standard of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anaśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (ablative/comparison ‘than’), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; negation particle

• asti: is, exists
• asti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb ‘likewise’

• tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt: than resorting to a pilgrimage place
• tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt: Apādāna (Standard of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣevaṇa (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (tīrthasya niṣevaṇam = resorting to a tīrtha); पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (ablative/comparison ‘than’), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic voice within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-panel allegory: (1) a pilgrim protecting animals (ahiṃsā), (2) giving alms (dāna), (3) fasting devotee with calm aura (anāśana-tapas), (4) pilgrims circumambulating a tīrtha/temple (tīrtha-niṣevana), all anchored by Prabhāsa coastal landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Ahiṃsā
• Dāna
• Anaśana
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma ranks non-violence, charity, fasting, and tīrtha-service as supreme pillars of merit and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tīrthas in general (within the Prabhāsa context), emphasizing the incomparable value of holy-place visitation and service.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ethical and ritual disciplines: ahiṃsā, dāna, anaśana (fasting), and tīrtha-niṣevaṇa.