Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

दीपं ददाति यस्तत्र मासं वा पक्षमेव वा । एकैक दीपदानेन कोटिदीपफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

dīpaṃ dadāti yastatra māsaṃ vā pakṣameva vā | ekaika dīpadānena koṭidīpaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

അവിടെ ദീപദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ—ഒരു മാസം ആയാലും അല്ലെങ്കിൽ പകുതിമാസം ആയാലും—ഓരോ ദീപദാനത്താലും കോടി ദീപദാനങ്ങളുടെ ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും।

Word by Word

• दीपम्: a lamp
• दीपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person) एकवचनम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative pronoun)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्; कालपरिमाणम्

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम् (disjunctive particle)

• पक्षम्: for a fortnight
• पक्षम्: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्; कालपरिमाणम्

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम् (disjunctive particle)

• एकैक: by each single
• एकैक: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक-एक (प्रातिपदिक; पुनरुक्त-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया) एकवचनार्थे (with next word in instr.); 'each single'

• दीप-दानॆन: by the gift of a lamp
• दीप-दानॆन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया) एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (giving of a lamp)

• कोटि-दीप-फलम्: the merit/result of crores of lamps
• कोटि-दीप-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + दीप (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (fruit of crores of lamps)

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

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narration commonly via Sūta to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rows of lamps offered by pilgrims in the Prabhāsa precinct, glowing through a fortnight/month; the deity’s presence seems to multiply each flame into countless lights stretching into the night sky.

Characters & Entities

• Dīpa-dāna (lamp offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even simple devotional charity like offering a lamp becomes immensely fruitful when done in a highly sanctified kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Viṣṇu-kṣetra context), where dīpa-dāna is said to multiply in merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīpa-dāna (offering lamps), sustained for a month or at least a fortnight.