Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

तुलापुरुषब्रह्माण्डपृथिवीकल्पपादपाः । हिरण्य कामधेनुश्च गजवाजिरथास्तथा

Transliteration

tulāpuruṣabrahmāṇḍapṛthivīkalpapādapāḥ | hiraṇya kāmadhenuśca gajavājirathāstathā

Translation

തുലാപുരുഷം, ബ്രഹ്മാണ്ഡം, പൃഥിവീ, കല്പപാദപം എന്നീ മഹാദാനങ്ങൾ; കൂടാതെ സ്വർണമയ കാമധേനു; അതുപോലെ ആന, കുതിര, രഥം—ഇവയും മഹാദാനങ്ങളായി എണ്ണപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तुला: balance/scale (as a gift-name)
• तुला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (feminine nominative singular)

• पुरुष: man/person (as a gift-name)
• पुरुष: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (masculine nominative singular)

• ब्रह्माण्ड: cosmic egg/universe (as a gift-name)
• ब्रह्माण्ड: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + अण्ड (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (neuter nominative singular)

• पृथिवी: earth (as a gift-name)
• पृथिवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (feminine nominative singular)

• कल्प: aeon/kalpa (as a gift-name)
• कल्प: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (masculine nominative singular)

• पादपाः: trees (as gift-items)
• पादपाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पादप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; (masculine nominative plural)

• हिरण्य: gold (as a gift-name)
• हिरण्य: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (neuter nominative singular)

• कामधेनुः: wish-fulfilling cow
• कामधेनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम + धेनु (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (feminine nominative singular)

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

• गज: elephant (as a gift-name)
• गज: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (masculine nominative singular)

• वाजि: horse (as a gift-name)
• वाजि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (masculine nominative singular)

• रथाः: chariots
• रथाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; (masculine nominative plural)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक/समुच्चयार्थ (indeclinable; 'likewise/also')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand dāna pavilion at Prabhāsa: a donor is weighed against gold (Tulāpuruṣa), a golden cow (Hiraṇya-kāmadhenu) is presented, and symbolic models of the earth and cosmic egg are offered; elephants, horses, and chariots stand adorned.

Characters & Entities

• Tulāpuruṣa-dāna
• Brahmāṇḍa-dāna
• Pṛthivī-dāna
• Kalpapādapa-dāna
• Hiraṇya
• Kāmadhenu
• Elephant
• Horse
• Chariot

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma praises mahādāna—grand, symbolic forms of giving that express surrender of wealth for sacred merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding passage situates these gifts in the context of Prabhāsa kṣetra and its tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of named mahādānas such as Tulāpuruṣa, golden Kāmadhenu, and donations of elephants, horses, and chariots.