Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

तत्र दानं प्रशंसंति गत्वा ब्राह्मणसत्तमे । अस्मिंस्तीर्थे नृपश्रेष्ठ गोदानं च करोति यः

Transliteration

tatra dānaṃ praśaṃsaṃti gatvā brāhmaṇasattame | asmiṃstīrthe nṛpaśreṣṭha godānaṃ ca karoti yaḥ

Translation

Di sana, wahai brāhmaṇa yang mulia, sedekah (dāna) sangat dipuji. Dan sesiapa, wahai raja yang utama, yang melakukan pemberian lembu (go-dāna) di tīrtha ini—

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• दानम्: gift/charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रशंसन्ति: praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• ब्राह्मणसत्तमे: O best of brāhmaṇas
• ब्राह्मणसत्तमे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—सत्तमः ब्राह्मणः (श्रेष्ठब्राह्मण)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (तीर्थे)

• तीर्थे: holy place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• गोदानम्: gift of a cow/cow-donation
• गोदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—गवां दानम्

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• करोति: does/performs
• करोति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

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

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāha Tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A brāhmaṇa interlocutor is addressed (‘brāhmaṇa-sattama’), and a king is also addressed (‘nṛpa-śreṣṭha’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the tīrtha precinct, a kingly donor or pilgrim offers a decorated cow (garlanded, with cloth and ornaments) to a learned brāhmaṇa; the sacred water and Varāha symbolism frame the act as a holy transaction.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇa-sattama (address)
• nṛpa-śreṣṭha (address)
• tīrtha
• dāna
• godāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is perfected by generosity; tīrtha-visit should culminate in dāna, especially go-dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This refers to the same tīrtha under discussion—Vārāha Tīrtha in Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna at the tīrtha, with special emphasis on go-dāna (cow donation).