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

Пусть даже лишь в меру одного чёрного зёрнышка: способный человек, дарующий золото в Курукшетре во время солнечного затмения, пребывает здесь, причастный великой заслуге.

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.