Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 187

Devanagari script

किं दानैः किं तपोभिर्वा किं यज्ञैर्भाववर्जितैः । दया सत्यं घृणाऽस्तेयं दंभपैशुन्यवर्जितम् । भक्त्या यद्दीयते स्तोकं देवि तद्वल्लभं मम

Transliteration

kiṃ dānaiḥ kiṃ tapobhirvā kiṃ yajñairbhāvavarjitaiḥ | dayā satyaṃ ghṛṇā'steyaṃ daṃbhapaiśunyavarjitam | bhaktyā yaddīyate stokaṃ devi tadvallabhaṃ mama

Translation

ഭാവരഹിതമായ ദാനം, തപസ്, യജ്ഞം ഇവയ്ക്ക് എന്ത് പ്രയോജനം? ദയ, സത്യം, കരുണ, അസ്തേയം, ദംഭവും പൈശുന്യവും ഇല്ലായ്മ—ഹേ ദേവി, ഭക്തിയോടെ അർപ്പിക്കുന്ന അല്പം പോലും എനിക്ക് പ്രിയമാണ്।

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna/Upapada (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (प्रश्न/निन्दार्थे) — interrogative particle ‘what use?’

• दानैः: with gifts, by donations
• दानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna/Upapada (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (प्रश्न/निन्दार्थे)

• तपोभिः: by austerities
• तपोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

• वा: or
• वा: Samuccaya/Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय — disjunctive particle

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna/Upapada (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (प्रश्न/निन्दार्थे)

• यज्ञैः: by sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

• भाववर्जितैः: devoid of (true) feeling/devotion
• भाववर्जितैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भाववर्जित (प्रातिपदिक; भाव + वर्जित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — agrees with यज्ञैः; ‘devoid of devotion/feeling’

• दया: compassion
• दया: Karta (Topic/कर्ता-प्राय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular (as a listed virtue)

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karta (Topic/कर्ता-प्राय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nominative/accusative singular (listed virtue)

• घृणा: compassion, tenderness
• घृणा: Karta (Topic/कर्ता-प्राय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular (listed virtue)

• अस्तेयम्: non-stealing
• अस्तेयम्: Karta (Topic/कर्ता-प्राय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्तेय (प्रातिपदिक; अ + स्तेय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘non-stealing’

• दंभपैशुन्यवर्जितम्: free from hypocrisy and calumny
• दंभपैशुन्यवर्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दंभपैशुन्यवर्जित (प्रातिपदिक; दंभ + पैशुन्य + वर्जित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — predicate/qualifier of the virtuous set; ‘free from hypocrisy and slander’

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular (‘with devotion’)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Relative pronoun; refers to stokaṃ/that which

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद — Present passive 3rd sg

• स्तोकम्: a little, a small amount
• स्तोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — Vocative singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta/Karma (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Demonstrative pronoun; correlates with यत्

• वल्लभम्: dear, pleasing
• वल्लभम्: Visheshana (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — predicate adjective (‘dear’)

• मम: to me, my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन — Genitive singular

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene shrine setting in Vastrāpatha-kṣetra: the Devī addressed with reverence; a devotee offers a small handful of flowers/leaves while virtues are symbolized—truth as a lamp, compassion as a sheltering gesture, non-slander as a closed mouth motif.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion joined to ethical living outweighs grand rituals performed without inner sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Any offering—even small—becomes spiritually effective when given with bhakti and moral purity.