Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

दानपात्रमतिक्रम्य यदपात्रे प्रदीयते । तद्दत्तं गामतिक्रम्य गर्दभस्य गवाह्निकम्

Transliteration

dānapātramatikramya yadapātre pradīyate | taddattaṃ gāmatikramya gardabhasya gavāhnikam

Translation

தானத்திற்கு உரிய பாத்திரரைத் தாண்டி அப்பாத்திரருக்கு அளிப்பது, பால் தரும் பசுவை விட்டுவிட்டு கழுதைக்கு தீனி போடுவதுபோல் ஆகும்.

Word by Word

• दानपात्रम्: the proper recipient (vessel) of a gift
• दानपात्रम्: Karma (Object of gerund/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna-pātra (प्रातिपदिक; दान + पात्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (दानस्य पात्रम्)

• अतिक्रम्य: having bypassed
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ati√kram (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive): ‘having passed over/neglected’

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• अपात्रे: in an unworthy recipient
• अपात्रे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-pātra (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + पात्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (अयोग्यपात्रे)

• प्रदीयते: is given
• प्रदीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√dā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is given’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• दत्तम्: (is) given
• दत्तम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate to ‘tat’/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given’

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: Karma (Object of gerund/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• अतिक्रम्य: having bypassed
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ati√kram (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund): ‘having passed over’

• गर्दभस्य: of a donkey
• गर्दभस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gardabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• गवाह्निकम्: a cow’s daily ration (given) to a donkey
• गवाह्निकम्: Upamāna (Illustrative comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go-āhniká (प्रातिपदिक; गो + आह्निक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गवाम् आह्निकम् = daily portion/feeding of cows)

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic village scene: a cow calmly stands near a pious caretaker, while a donor mistakenly feeds a donkey; the cow’s milk pot remains empty—an allegory of misplaced charity.

Characters & Entities

• Dānapātra
• Apātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity must be guided by discernment; misdirected giving wastes spiritual and social value.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the emphasis is ethical instruction regarding dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not bypass the worthy recipient (pātra) to give to the unworthy (apātra).