Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यथाऽनृणे बीजमुप्त्वा वप्ता न लभते फलम् । तथानृचे हविर्दत्त्वा न दाता लभते फलम्

Transliteration

yathā'nṛṇe bījamuptvā vaptā na labhate phalam | tathānṛce havirdattvā na dātā labhate phalam

Translation

ดุจผู้หว่านเมล็ดลงในดินกันดารย่อมไม่พบผล ฉันใด ผู้ถวายหวิสแก่ผู้ไร้บทเวทก็ฉันนั้น—ผู้ให้ย่อมมิได้ผลบุญ

Word by Word

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा/तुलना-वाचक

• anṛṇe: in a debt-free (field/person)
• anṛṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; (ऋणरहिते/ऋणं न यस्य)

• bījam: seed
• bījam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bīja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• uptvā: having sown
• uptvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vap (धातु) → upta (कृदन्त) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): 'having sown'

• vaptā: the sower
• vaptā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vap (धातु) → vaptṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक (agent noun: sower)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tathā: so/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तथात्व/तुल्यताबोधक

• anṛce: in one without ṛc (Vedic verse)
• anṛce: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anṛc (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + ṛc)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; (ऋच्-रहिते/अऋचि)

• haviḥ: oblation
• haviḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: havis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dā (धातु) → datta (कृदन्त) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): 'having given'

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• dātā: the giver
• dātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dā (धातु) → dātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक (agent noun: giver)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A farmer sowing seed on cracked, barren ground contrasted with a proper fertile field; parallel scene of a donor offering havis into fire while an unqualified priest stands without Vedic signs (no manuscript, no śikhā/marks implied).

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• havis
• Veda (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual efficacy is relational: the sanctity of offering and the qualification of the receiver together shape the spiritual result.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific sacred site is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It warns that offering havis (as in śrāddha/yajña contexts) to a non-Veda-reciter does not yield the intended phala to the donor.