Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सोमग्रहे कुलशतं स समुद्धृत्य नाकभाक् । दानानि द्विजमुख्येभ्यो देवतीर्थे नराधिप

Transliteration

somagrahe kulaśataṃ sa samuddhṛtya nākabhāk | dānāni dvijamukhyebhyo devatīrthe narādhipa

Translation

ข้าแต่นราธิป ในกาลจันทรคราส เขายกกู้ร้อยชั่วคนแห่งตระกูลและเป็นผู้มีส่วนในสวรรค์—ด้วยการถวายทานแก่พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ ณ เทวตีรถะ

Word by Word

• सोमग्रहे: at the Soma-graha (a sacred spot/observance connected with Soma)
• सोमग्रहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम-ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; सोम + ग्रह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सोमस्य ग्रहः)

• कुलशतम्: a hundred families
• कुलशतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल-शत (प्रातिपदिक; कुल + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (शतं कुलानि)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• समुद्धृत्य: having lifted up; having delivered
• समुद्धृत्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-√हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• नाकभाक्: partaker of heaven; heaven-attainer
• नाकभाक्: Karta-apposition (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाक-भाज् (प्रातिपदिक; नाक + भाज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (नाकं भजते इति)

• दानानि: gifts; donations
• दानानि: Karman (Object/कर्म) (implied with ‘(ददाति)’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन

• द्विजमुख्येभ्यः: to the foremost Brahmins
• द्विजमुख्येभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + मुख्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भाव (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः)

• देवतीर्थे: at Devatīrtha
• देवतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• नराधिप: O lord of men (king)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-अधिप (प्रातिपदिक; नर + अधिप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः)

Speaker

Unknown (instruction addressed to a king within Devatīrtha Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa/nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lunar eclipse darkens the sky over the river; pilgrims bathe and then offer gifts to venerable brāhmaṇas. A symbolic ‘ladder’ of ancestors rising is hinted through subtle imagery, showing kula-uddhāra and svarga-share.

Characters & Entities

• Soma-grahaṇa (lunar eclipse)
• Devatīrtha
• Dvija (Brahmins)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Eclipse-time charity at a great tīrtha is portrayed as benefiting not only the giver but also the ancestral line.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devatīrtha is the focal site where lunar-eclipse dāna is said to yield extraordinary results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During soma-grahaṇa (lunar eclipse), give dāna to dvija-mukhya (eminent Brahmins) at Devatīrtha.