Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

दधि दद्याच्च वै तत्र ब्राह्मणे वेदपारगे । सोऽग्निलोकमवाप्नोति सम्यग्यात्राफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

dadhi dadyācca vai tatra brāhmaṇe vedapārage | so'gnilokamavāpnoti samyagyātrāphalaṃ labhet

Translation

അവിടെ വേദപാരംഗതനായ ബ്രാഹ്മണന് ദധി (തൈര്) ദാനം ചെയ്യണം. അങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ അഗ്നിലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുകയും യാത്രയുടെ സമ്യക് ഫലം ലഭിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യും.

Word by Word

• dadhi: curd, yogurt
• dadhi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular (object)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धा॒तु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/benedictive), प्रथमपुरुष? (न), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; parasmaipada; ‘should give’

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

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• brāhmaṇe: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇe: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; dative singular (recipient)

• veda-pārage: learned in the Vedas
• veda-pārage: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + pāraga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/उपपद-भाव: ‘वेदेषु पारगः’); पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; agreeing with brāhmaṇe

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; pronoun ‘he’

• agni-lokam: Agni’s world
• agni-lokam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘अग्नेः लोकः’); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular (goal)

• avāpnoti: attains
• avāpnoti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धा॒तु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada; ‘attains’

• samyak: properly, duly
• samyak: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• yātrā-phalam: the fruit of the pilgrimage
• yātrā-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘यात्रायाः फलम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular (object)

• labhet: obtains
• labhet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धा॒तु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ātmanepada; ‘would obtain/should obtain’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice; not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vāḍaveśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim offers a vessel of curd to a serene, Veda-reciting Brāhmaṇa near the Vāḍaveśvara shrine; the act is framed as completing the yātrā and opening the path to Agni-loka.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Veda
• Agniloka
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is perfected by dharmic giving—dāna to qualified recipients completes and sanctifies the yātrā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra (in the context of Vāḍaveśvara Māhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dadhi-dāna: gifting curd to a Veda-proficient Brāhmaṇa as part of the pilgrimage observance.