Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सोमो वै वस्त्रदानेन मौक्तिकानां च भार्गवः । सुवर्णस्य रविर्दानं धर्मराजो ह्यनन्तकम्

Transliteration

somo vai vastradānena mauktikānāṃ ca bhārgavaḥ | suvarṇasya ravirdānaṃ dharmarājo hyanantakam

Translation

การถวายทานผ้านุ่งห่มทำให้โสมะ (จันทรา) โปรดปราน; การถวายมุกดาทำให้ภารควะ (ศุกระ) โปรดปราน. ส่วนการถวายทองมีรวี (สุริยะ) เป็นเทวะประธาน; และผลแห่งทานนั้น ธรรมราช (ยม) ตรัสว่าเป็นอนันต์.

Word by Word

• सोमः: Soma (the Moon)
• सोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• वस्त्रदानेन: by the gift of garments
• वस्त्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र-दान (प्रातिपदिक; वस्त्र + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वस्त्रस्य दानम्)

• मौक्तिकानाम्: of pearls
• मौक्तिकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौक्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

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

• भार्गवः: Bhārgava (Venus/Śukra)
• भार्गवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्गव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• सुवर्णस्य: of gold
• सुवर्णस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• रविः: Ravi (the Sun)
• रविः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• दानम्: gift; giving
• दानम्: Predicate nominal / Karman (Object/कर्म) (contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• धर्मराजः: Dharmarāja (Yama)
• धर्मराजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + राज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य राजा)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (causal/emphatic particle)

• अनन्तकम्: endless; infinite
• अनन्तकम्: Karman (Object/कर्म) (implied: ‘(फलम्)’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

Speaker

Unknown (doctrinal listing within Revākhaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devatīrtha (Bhṛgu-kṣetra)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa/narādhipa) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor offers garments, pearls, and gold at a riverside tīrtha; above, Soma, Śukra (Bhārgava), Ravi, and Dharma-rāja are subtly depicted as presiding witnesses, indicating the cosmic accounting of charity.

Characters & Entities

• Soma (Moon)
• Bhārgava (Śukra/Venus)
• Ravi (Sun)
• Dharma-rāja (Yama)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity is harmonized with cosmic order: specific gifts align with specific deities, and dāna itself is praised as a dharmic act of vast consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs in the Devatīrtha-centered teaching of Revākhaṇḍa, where dāna is promoted as part of tīrtha-dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donating clothes, pearls, and gold with awareness of their associated deities, as part of disciplined religious giving.