Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

आत्माहाराच्चतुर्भागं सिद्धान्नाद्यदि दीयते । हन्तकारः स तं दत्त्वा ध्रुवं याति ध्रुवालये

Transliteration

ātmāhārāccaturbhāgaṃ siddhānnādyadi dīyate | hantakāraḥ sa taṃ dattvā dhruvaṃ yāti dhruvālaye

Translation

ആരെങ്കിലും തന്റെ നിത്യാഹാരത്തിന്റെ നാലിലൊന്ന് പാകം ചെയ്ത അന്നമായി ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ, ആ ദാതാവ് അത് അർപ്പിച്ച് നിശ്ചയമായി ധ്രുവന്റെ അചല ധാമത്തിലെത്തുന്നു।

Word by Word

• आत्माहारात्: from one’s own food-intake
• आत्माहारात्: अपादान (Source/From)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्माहार (प्रातिपदिक; आत्मन् + आहार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आत्मनः आहारः)

• चतुर्भागम्: a fourth part
• चतुर्भागम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्भाग (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (चतुर्णां भागः)

• सिद्धान्नात्: from cooked food
• सिद्धान्नात्: अपादान (Source/From)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धान्न (प्रातिपदिक; सिद्ध + अन्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (सिद्धम् अन्नम्)

• यदि: if
• यदि: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (conditional particle)

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• हन्तकारः: a killer; slayer
• हन्तकारः: कर्ता (Subject/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हन्तकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject/Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तम्: that (share)
• तम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: पूर्वक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण)

• याति: goes
• याति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ध्रुवालये: to the abode of Dhruva
• ध्रुवालये: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्रुवालय (प्रातिपदिक; ध्रुव + आलय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (ध्रुवस्य आलयः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder-pilgrim divides his cooked meal into four parts, offers one portion respectfully to a guest/ascetic; above, the Pole Star realm is depicted as a steady luminous sphere, with Dhruva seated in meditation, symbolizing the ‘dhruva-ālaya’.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Dhruvaloka (Dhruvālayā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dāna begins with one’s own share; disciplined generosity leads to a ‘fixed’ spiritual destiny symbolized by Dhruva’s abode.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, where such prescriptions are praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily anna-dāna: giving one-fourth of one’s own prepared food.