Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तत्र स्थाने ददुस्तेषां भूमिदानमनुत्तमम् । यावच्चन्द्रश्च सूर्यश्च यावत्तिष्ठति मेदिनी

Transliteration

tatra sthāne dadusteṣāṃ bhūmidānamanuttamam | yāvaccandraśca sūryaśca yāvattiṣṭhati medinī

Translation

ณ ที่นั้นเอง เขาทั้งหลายได้ถวายทานเป็นที่ดินอันหาที่เปรียบมิได้—ตราบเท่าที่จันทร์และอาทิตย์ยังส่องอยู่ ตราบเท่าที่แผ่นดินยังดำรง

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adverbial (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय; 'there'

• स्थाने: in the place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• ददुः: they gave
• ददुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; 'they gave'

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; 'of them'

• भूमिदानम्: gift of land
• भूमिदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूमेः दानम्)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भूमिदानम् इति विशेषण

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker (कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत् सम्बन्धे 'as long as'

• चन्द्रः: the moon
• चन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; 'and'

• सूर्यः: the sun
• सूर्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker (कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; 'as long as'

• तिष्ठति: remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 'stands/remains'

• मेदिनी: the earth
• मेदिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) region (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal land-gift ceremony: donors pour water (udaka-dāna) into the recipient’s hands; a boundary map or symbolic clod of earth is presented; witnesses stand with staffs; the sun and moon are depicted above to signify perpetuity.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūmidāna (land-gift)
• Candra
• Sūrya
• Medinī (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest charity sustains dharma across generations; enduring gifts like land-grants are praised as long-lasting merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to an endowment made ‘in that place’ within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative, without naming a specific tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhūmi-dāna (donation of land), framed as a lasting endowment ‘as long as sun and moon endure’.