Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

समं कृष्णलकेनापि यो दद्यात्कांचनं कृती । सूर्यग्रहे कुरुक्षेत्रे स वसेदत्र पुण्यभाक्

Transliteration

samaṃ kṛṣṇalakenāpi yo dadyātkāṃcanaṃ kṛtī | sūryagrahe kurukṣetre sa vasedatra puṇyabhāk

Translation

Walaupun hanya sebesar sukatan sebiji benih hitam, orang yang berkemampuan yang mendermakan emas ketika gerhana Matahari di Kurukṣetra—dia menetap di sini sebagai yang mendapat bahagian pahala besar.

Word by Word

• समम्: equally; even
• समम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverbial accusative used as indeclinable)

• कृष्णलकेन: with a black sesame-seed (measure)
• कृष्णलकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षा-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• काञ्चनम्: gold
• काञ्चनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काञ्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृती: a meritorious person
• कृती: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सूर्यग्रहे: at the solar eclipse
• सूर्यग्रहे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य + ग्रह (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यस्य ग्रहः)

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुक्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वसेत्: should dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• पुण्यभाक्: partaking of merit; blessed
• पुण्यभाक्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + भाज् (प्रातिपदिक: भाक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यं भजते इति)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kurukṣetra (during Sūrya-grahaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Kurukṣetra’s plain near a sacred tank, the Sun is darkened (eclipse), pilgrims bathe and a donor offers a tiny pinch-measure of gold to a brāhmaṇa; a subtle overlay shows Kāśī’s ghāṭs as the merit’s ‘abode’.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya-grahaṇa (solar eclipse)
• Kurukṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a small gift, when offered with right intent at an especially sacred time and place, yields immense merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kurukṣetra is explicitly praised as a powerful field for merit, especially during a solar eclipse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna of gold (kāñcana-dāna) at the time of a solar eclipse in Kurukṣetra.