Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

अस्मिंस्तीर्थे तु यो दद्यात्त्रुटिमात्रं तु कांचनम् । श्रद्धया द्विजमुख्याय मेरुतुल्यं फलं लभेत्

Transliteration

asmiṃstīrthe tu yo dadyāttruṭimātraṃ tu kāṃcanam | śraddhayā dvijamukhyāya merutulyaṃ phalaṃ labhet

Translation

ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ആരെങ്കിലും ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ബ്രാഹ്മണനു സ്വർണ്ണത്തിന്റെ അതിസൂക്ഷ്മ കണികമാത്രം പോലും ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ, അവൻ മേരുപർവ്വതസമമായ മഹാഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः; विशेषणरूपेण (tīrthe इति)

• तीर्थे: in the sacred place (tīrtha)
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः/समुच्चय-व्यतिरेकसूचकः (particle: but/indeed)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धा॒तु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• त्रुटिमात्रम्: a mere speck (truṭi-measure)
• त्रुटिमात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: truṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (truṭeḥ mātram = a measure of a truṭi)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle)

• काञ्चनम्: gold
• काञ्चनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• द्विजमुख्याय: to a foremost Brahmin
• द्विजमुख्याय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (4th/Dative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः (dvijaḥ mukhyaḥ = chief among the twice-born)

• मेरुतुल्यम्: equal to Mount Meru
• मेरुतुल्यम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; उपमान-तत्पुरुषः (meru-sadṛśam)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धा॒तु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa tīrtha (within Prabhāsakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the tīrtha, a pilgrim offers a tiny piece of gold with folded hands to a venerable brāhmaṇa; behind them, sacred waters and the kṣetra’s sanctified horizon suggest immeasurable reward (Meru-like vastness).

Characters & Entities

• Prācīna Tīrtha
• Mount Meru
• dvijamukhya (foremost brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a sacred place, the inner quality of śraddhā makes even small charity spiritually immense.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same “this tīrtha” contextually refers to Prācīna Tīrtha within Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna: offering even a tiny amount of gold to a worthy brāhmaṇa with faith.