Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दानानि राहुग्रस्तेर्के ददतां यत्फलं भवेत् । कुरुक्षेत्रे हि तत्काश्यामत्रैव स्याद्दशाधिकम्

Transliteration

dānāni rāhugrasterke dadatāṃ yatphalaṃ bhavet | kurukṣetre hi tatkāśyāmatraiva syāddaśādhikam

Translation

రాహుగ్రస్త సూర్యుని (గ్రహణకాలంలో) దానం చేసేవారికి కలిగే ఫలం ఏదైతే ఉందో, అదే ఫలం—కురుక్షేత్రంలోనూ—కాశీలో ఇక్కడే దశగుణములకన్నా అధికమవుతుంది।

Word by Word

• दानानि: gifts
• दानानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — “gifts/charities”

• राहु-ग्रस्ते: in (the time of) Rahu-seized
• राहु-ग्रस्ते: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राहु (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रस् (धातु) → ग्रस्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, भूतकृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — “when (the sun is) seized by Rahu” (qualifies ‘अर्के’)

• अर्के: in the sun (during eclipse)
• अर्के: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — “in the sun” (i.e., during eclipse)

• ददताम्: give
• ददताम्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन — “(of those) who give” (used as finite verb in relative clause)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — relative pronoun qualifying ‘फलम्’

• फलम्: result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — “fruit/result”

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — “would be”

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukshetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु-क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — “in Kurukshetra”

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निपात (particle), emphasis/indeed

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — demonstrative qualifying implied ‘फलम्’

• काश्याम्: in Kashi
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — “in Kashi”

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative adverbial/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अवधारण (restrictive particle)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• दश-अधिकम्: tenfold greater
• दश-अधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — “ten times more” (qualifies implied ‘फलम्’)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī) dāna-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (traditional frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An eclipse sky (darkened sun with halo) above Kāśī ghāṭs; donors give alms to brāhmaṇas and the poor; a small side-scene shows Kurukṣetra as a distant plain, visually subordinated to Kāśī’s ghāṭ-temples.

Characters & Entities

• Rāhu
• Arka (Sun)
• Kurukṣetra
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as a multiplier of dharmic acts, surpassing even renowned merit-yielding times and places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is glorified as a supreme field of merit, compared to Kurukṣetra and eclipse-time giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charitable giving), specifically referenced in the context of solar eclipse observances.