Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

त्रयोदशदिनं दानं त्रयोदशगुणं भवेत् । अभ्यर्चितं सुरं दृष्ट्वा गणनाथं गजाननम्

Transliteration

trayodaśadinaṃ dānaṃ trayodaśaguṇaṃ bhavet | abhyarcitaṃ suraṃ dṛṣṭvā gaṇanāthaṃ gajānanam

Translation

பதிமூன்று நாட்கள் அளிக்கப்படும் தானம் பதிமூன்று மடங்கு பலன் தரும். பூஜிக்கப்பட்ட தேவனைத் தரிசித்து, யானைமுகம் கொண்ட கணநாதனைத் தரிசித்து அர்ச்சித்தால்…

Word by Word

• trayodaśa-dinam: for thirteen days
• trayodaśa-dinam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trayodaśa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; द्विगु-समास: ‘trayodaśa dināni’ (thirteen-day) used adjectivally

• dānam: gift, donation
• dānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• trayodaśa-guṇam: thirteenfold
• trayodaśa-guṇam: Karma-pravacanīya/Predicative complement
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trayodaśa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; द्विगु-समास: ‘trayodaśa guṇāḥ’ (thirteenfold) used as predicate adjective

• bhavet: would be, becomes
• bhavet: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धा॒तु)
• Form: Liṅ-lakāra (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada; Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Singular

• abhyarcitam: worshipped
• abhyarcitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhi-arc (धा॒तु)
• Form: Kṛdanta (past passive participle/क्त), Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; ‘having been worshipped’/‘worshipped’

• suram: the god/deity
• suram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धा॒तु)
• Form: Kṛdanta (absolutive/त्वान्त), from √dṛś; Avyaya-kṛdanta

• gaṇa-nātham: Lord of the gaṇas
• gaṇa-nātham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी): ‘gaṇānāṃ nāthaḥ’

• gaja-ānanam: the elephant-faced (Gaṇeśa)
• gaja-ānanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘gajasya ānanam’ (elephant-faced)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kambalakṣetra (Gaṇanātha darśana)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers daily gifts for thirteen days, then approaches a Gaṇeśa shrine; Gaṇanātha appears elephant-faced, benevolent, with modaka and broken tusk, receiving archana.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇanātha (Gaṇeśa)
• Gajānanā (Elephant-faced Lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained charity and sacred darśana amplify spiritual merit; devotion expressed over time bears multiplied fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to a locale where Gaṇanātha (Gaṇeśa) is worshiped and seen; the specific place-name appears in the following verse (Kambalakṣetra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dāna for thirteen consecutive days, and take darśana of the worshiped Gaṇeśa (Gaṇanātha, Gajānanā).