Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

दधिस्कन्दे नरः स्नात्वा यस्तु दद्याद्द्विजे दधि । उपतिष्ठेत्ततस्तस्य सप्तजन्मनि भारत

Transliteration

dadhiskande naraḥ snātvā yastu dadyāddvije dadhi | upatiṣṭhettatastasya saptajanmani bhārata

Translation

ததிஸ்கந்த தீர்த்தத்தில் நீராடி, யார் இருபிறப்பாளரான (பிராமணரான) ஒருவருக்கு தயிரை தானமாக அளிக்கிறாரோ, ஓ பாரதா, அவருக்கு ஏழு பிறவிகளிலும் செல்வமும் சுப ஆதரவும் உண்டாகும்।

Word by Word

• dadhiskande: in Dadhiskanda (the Dadhiskanda section/place)
• dadhiskande: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhi (प्रातिपदिक) + skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दध्नः स्कन्दः) — Locative singular masculine

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: स्ना — having bathed

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Relative pronoun nominative singular masculine

• tu: indeed/and
• tu: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — emphatic/contrastive

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद — should give

• dvije: to a Brahmin (twice-born)
• dvije: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन — Dative singular masculine

• dadhi: curd/yogurt
• dadhi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular neuter

• upatiṣṭhet: should attend (him)/serve
• upatiṣṭhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — should attend/serve/stand by

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — from that/thereafter

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular (of him)

• sapta-janmani: in (his) seven births
• sapta-janmani: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (सप्त जनमानि यस्मिन्) — Locative singular neuter

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular masculine

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continued context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dadhiskanda

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed as ‘O Bhārata’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a calm riverbank tīrtha labeled Dadhiskanda, completing snāna and offering a pot of curd to a seated brāhmaṇa under a tree-shade pavilion; attendants hold kamaṇḍalu and darbha; the Revā flows luminous behind.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhiskanda
• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links tīrtha-snāna with compassionate giving: purification is completed by dāna, yielding long-lasting auspicious results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dadhiskanda tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at Dadhiskanda and donate curd (dadhi) to a dvija/brāhmaṇa.