Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

हौत्रं धर्मवसिष्ठौ च ब्रह्मत्वं सनको मुनिः । षट्त्रिंशद्ग्रामसाहस्रं प्रादात्तेभ्यः शतक्रतुः

Transliteration

hautraṃ dharmavasiṣṭhau ca brahmatvaṃ sanako muniḥ | ṣaṭtriṃśadgrāmasāhasraṃ prādāttebhyaḥ śatakratuḥ

Translation

Tugas Hotṛ dilaksanakan oleh Dharma dan Vasiṣṭha, manakala jawatan Brahman (penyelia tertinggi upacara) dipegang oleh resi Sanaka. Śatakratu mengurniakan kepada mereka tiga puluh enam ribu kampung.

Word by Word

• हौत्रम्: the hotṛ-priesthood
• हौत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hautra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पद/कार्यवाचक (office of hotṛ)

• धर्म-वसिष्ठौ: Dharma and Vasiṣṭha
• धर्म-वसिष्ठौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + vasiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (धर्मः च वसिष्ठः च)

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

• ब्रह्मत्वम्: the brahman-priesthood
• ब्रह्मत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन; भाववाचक (state/office of brahman-priest)

• सनकः: Sanaka
• सनकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sanaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-विशेषणवत् (appositional)

• षट्त्रिंशद्ग्रामसाहस्रम्: a thousand (units) of thirty-six villages (i.e., 36,000 villages)
• षट्त्रिंशद्ग्रामसाहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ-triṃśat (संख्या) + grāma (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु/संख्यासमासः (षट्त्रिंशत्-ग्रामाणां साहस्रम्)

• प्रादात्: gave
• प्रादात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + dā (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/अद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तेभ्यः: to them
• तेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी (4th/5th), बहुवचन; दान-प्रयोगे चतुर्थी (dative plural)

• शतक्रतुः: Śatakratu (Indra)
• शतक्रतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatakratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yajña-sthāna on Revā (unspecified)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājaśārdūla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharma and Vasiṣṭha act as Hotṛ priests beside the fire; Sanaka sits as Brahman overseer; Indra bestows an immense dakṣiṇā—symbolized by scrolls/land grants and overflowing treasure vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Vasiṣṭha
• Sanaka
• Indra (Śatakratu)
• Hotṛ (Hautra)
• Brahman-priest (Brahmatva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual merit is sealed by dāna—honoring the wise with substantial gifts is portrayed as a royal and divine dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-khaṇḍa sacral landscape is reinforced by depicting a grand yajña and immense dāna occurring there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It specifies priestly functions (Hotṛ, Brahman) and records grāma-dāna (gift of villages) as the concluding generosity of the rite.