Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

सूर्यग्रहे कुरुक्षेत्रे दद्याद्दानमनुत्तमम् । पश्यत्यन्यो हृषीकेशं चातुर्मास्यं समाहितः

Transliteration

sūryagrahe kurukṣetre dadyāddānamanuttamam | paśyatyanyo hṛṣīkeśaṃ cāturmāsyaṃ samāhitaḥ

Translation

ਇੱਕ ਜਣਾਂ ਸੂਰਜ-ਗ੍ਰਹਿਣ ਵੇਲੇ ਕੁਰੂਕਸ਼ੇਤਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਨੁੱਤਮ ਦਾਨ ਕਰੇ; ਪਰ ਦੂਜਾ, ਮਨ ਨੂੰ ਇਕਾਗ੍ਰ ਕਰਕੇ, ਚਾਤੁਰਮਾਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਹ੍ਰਿਸ਼ੀਕੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ—ਉਹੀ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਸਰਵੋਤਮ ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• सूर्यग्रहे: at the solar eclipse
• सूर्यग्रहे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location-Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya + graha (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यस्य ग्रहः)

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: at Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kurukṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

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

• दानम्: a gift, donation
• दानम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (क्रिया/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हृषीकेशम्: Hṛṣīkeśa
• हृषीकेशम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛṣīkeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चातुर्मास्यम्: Cāturmāsya observance
• चातुर्मास्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समाहितः: composed, intent
• समाहितः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-धा (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakhaṇḍa narrative style; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kurukṣetra (grahaṇa-dāna) vs Hṛṣīkeśa-darśana in Cāturmāsya

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solar eclipse over Kurukṣetra with crowds giving gifts; contrasted with a serene devotee in a shrine before Hṛṣīkeśa during monsoon months, lamp-lit and focused.

Characters & Entities

• Kurukṣetra
• Hṛṣīkeśa
• Sūryagraha (solar eclipse)
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External merit (even eclipse-charity at famed tīrthas) is surpassed by concentrated devotion culminating in the Lord’s darśana during Cāturmāsya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kurukṣetra is referenced as a classic tīrtha for grahaṇa-dāna, while the verse exalts Hṛṣīkeśa-darśana during Cāturmāsya as the higher fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving dāna at Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse, and observing Cāturmāsya with mental steadiness oriented to Hṛṣīkeśa.