Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

तपःशीलगुणोपेते पात्रे वेदस्य पारगे । सुवर्णकोटिं यद्दत्त्वा तत्फलं कुसुमेन तु

Transliteration

tapaḥśīlaguṇopete pātre vedasya pārage | suvarṇakoṭiṃ yaddattvā tatphalaṃ kusumena tu

Translation

तप, शील व गुणांनी युक्त, वेदपारंगत योग्य पात्राला एक कोटी सुवर्ण दान केल्याने जे फळ मिळते, तेच फळ शिवाला केवळ एक पुष्प अर्पण केल्यानेही प्राप्त होते.

Word by Word

• तपःशीलगुणोपेते: in/for a vessel (recipient) endowed with austerity, conduct, and virtues
• तपःशीलगुणोपेते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + शील (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + उपेत (कृदन्त; √इ (धातु) उप- + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Locative singular); विशेषणम्—‘पात्रे’ इति विशेष्ये

• पात्रे: in a worthy recipient (vessel/person)
• पात्रे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Locative singular)

• वेदस्य: of the Veda
• वेदस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (Genitive singular)

• पारगे: in one who has mastered (gone to the far shore of)
• पारगे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पारग (प्रातिपदिक; ‘पारं गतः’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Locative singular); विशेषणम्—‘पात्रे’

• सुवर्णकोटिम्: a crore (ten million) of gold (coins/pieces)
• सुवर्णकोटिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Nom./Acc. sg.); सम्बन्धसूचकं—‘यत्…तत्…’

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (Gerund/Absolutive): ‘having given’

• तत्फलम्: that fruit/result
• तत्फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Nom./Acc. sg.); ‘यत्’ इत्यस्य प्रत्यनुयोगी

• कुसुमेन: with/by a flower
• कुसुमेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुसुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-एकवचनम् (Instrumental singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle); विरोध/विशेषार्थकः

Speaker

Śiva (as Somnātha), within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra praise context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sureśvarī (Indrāṇī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble devotee offers a single flower at the liṅga; behind, heaps of gold and a grand donation scene appear faint, indicating that devotion eclipses opulence.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Kusuma (flower offering)
• Suvarṇa-dāna (gold donation)
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti expressed through a simple offering can equal the merit of immense wealth when directed to the divine with sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra’s Somnātha worship tradition, emphasizing the power of even small offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering a flower in worship (kusuma-arpana/arcana), contrasted with suvarṇa-dāna to a qualified recipient.