Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सप्तधान्यं तथा चैव भोजनं नृपसत्तम । अन्यान्यपि च दानानि तस्मिंस्तीर्थे ददाति यः

Transliteration

saptadhānyaṃ tathā caiva bhojanaṃ nṛpasattama | anyānyapi ca dānāni tasmiṃstīrthe dadāti yaḥ

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราชผู้ประเสริฐ ผู้ใดถวาย ณ ตีรถะนั้นซึ่งธัญญาหารเจ็ดประการ อาหาร และทานอื่น ๆ อีกด้วย—

Word by Word

• सप्तधान्यम्: seven kinds of grain
• सप्तधान्यम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त + धान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः: सप्त (seven) + धान्य (grains)

• तथा: also
• तथा: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनुक्रमवाचक-अव्यय (also)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• भोजनम्: food
• भोजनम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: नृपाणां सत्तमः (best of kings)

• अन्यानि: other
• अन्यानि: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; ‘दानानि’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपि: also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/सम्भावनार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दानानि: donations
• दानानि: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘तीर्थे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa-sattama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal patron (addressed as ‘best of kings’) oversees distribution of sacks/bowls of seven grains and cooked food at a Revā ghāṭa; recipients line up respectfully; the river glints behind.

Characters & Entities

• Nṛpasattama (king)
• Sapta-dhānya
• Bhojana-dāna
• Tīrtha
• Revā (Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Generosity at a sanctified location—especially food and staple grains—becomes a high-yield act of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha of the Revā (Narmadā) as described in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donating sapta-dhānya (seven grains), providing meals (bhojana/anna-dāna), and other forms of charity at the tīrtha.