Previous Verse
Next Verse

Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

शक्तिविषये च श्लोका भवंति । कुटुंबभुक्तवसनाद्देयं यदतिरिच्यते । मध्वास्वादो विषं पश्चाद्दातुर्धर्मोऽन्यथा भवेत्

śaktiviṣaye ca ślokā bhavaṃti | kuṭuṃbabhuktavasanāddeyaṃ yadatiricyate | madhvāsvādo viṣaṃ paścāddāturdharmo'nyathā bhavet

Quanto à medida da própria capacidade, ensinam-se estes versos: depois de alimentar e vestir a família, o que sobrar deve ser dado. Doce no começo como mel, mas veneno depois, é a ‘caridade’ do doador quando o dharma é praticado de modo a prejudicar os deveres devidos.

शक्तिविषयेregarding (one’s) capacity
शक्तिविषये:
Adhikaraṇa (Topic/locative)
TypeNoun
Rootशक्ति + विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘शक्तेः विषयः’ (regarding capacity)
and
:
Samuccaya (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)
श्लोकाःverses
श्लोकाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootश्लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन
भवन्तिare/occur
भवन्ति:
Kriyā (Predicate verb)
TypeVerb
Rootभू (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन
कुटुम्बभुक्तवसनात्from (what remains after) the family’s used clothing/needs
कुटुम्बभुक्तवसनात्:
Apādāna (Source/ablative)
TypeNoun
Rootकुटुम्ब + भुक्त + वसन (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘कुटुम्बेन भुक्तं वसनं’ इति (from the clothing used by the family)
देयम्to be given
देयम्:
Karma (Thing to be given)
TypeAdjective
Rootदा (धातु) + य (कृत् प्रत्यय)
Formकृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be given’
यत्whatever
यत्:
Karma (Correlative to ‘deyam’)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम
अतिरिच्यतेremains over/is surplus
अतिरिच्यते:
Kriyā (Predicate verb)
TypeVerb
Rootअति + रिच् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)
मधु-आस्वादःthe taste of honey
मधु-आस्वादः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootमधु + आस्वाद (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘मधोः आस्वादः’
विषम्poison
विषम्:
Karma/Predicative complement
TypeNoun
Rootविष (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
पश्चात्afterwards
पश्चात्:
Kāla (Temporal)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपश्चात् (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)
दातुःof the giver
दातुः:
Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootदातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
धर्मःmerit/dharma
धर्मः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
अन्यथाotherwise
अन्यथा:
Prakāra (Manner)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअन्यथा (अव्यय)
Formप्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)
भवेत्would become
भवेत्:
Kriyā (Predicate verb)
TypeVerb
Rootभू (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Scene: A householder divides food and cloth: first to family members, then offers the remaining portion to a guest/ascetic; a symbolic honey pot and a hidden poison vial illustrate the metaphor of harmful charity.

FAQs

Dāna must be aligned with responsibility; give from surplus so that charity does not turn into harm.

No tīrtha is mentioned; the teaching concerns ethical household charity.

Support family necessities first; then donate what remains, according to one’s means.