Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

तोयं शय्यां तथा छत्रं कन्यां दासीं सुभाषिणीम् । पात्रे देयं यतो राजन् यदीच्छेच्छ्रेय आत्मनः

Transliteration

toyaṃ śayyāṃ tathā chatraṃ kanyāṃ dāsīṃ subhāṣiṇīm | pātre deyaṃ yato rājan yadīcchecchreya ātmanaḥ

Translation

น้ำ ที่นอน และฉัตร; หญิงสาว; และนางทาสีผู้วาจาไพเราะ—ข้าแต่ราชัน สิ่งเหล่านี้พึงถวายแก่ผู้ควรรับ หากผู้ใดปรารถนาศุภผลอันสูงสุดแก่ตน

Word by Word

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शय्याम्: bed
• शय्याम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शय्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/प्रकारार्थक; ‘also, likewise’)

• छत्रम्: umbrella
• छत्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कन्याम्: a maiden (girl)
• कन्याम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दासीम्: a maidservant
• दासीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दासी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सुभाषिणीम्: sweet-speaking
• सुभाषिणीम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + भाषिन् (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘सुभाषिणी’ (one who speaks well)

• पात्रे: to/in a worthy recipient
• पात्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• देयम्: should be given
• देयम्: Kriya (क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दा)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय/कर्तव्यार्थः ‘to be given/should be given’

• यतः: because
• यतः: Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (हेतौ; ‘because/since’)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्तार्थक; conditional particle ‘if’)

• इच्छेत्: should desire
• इच्छेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• श्रेयः: welfare, the good
• श्रेयः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified narrator addressing the king

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājan / nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal donor scene: attendants present a water-pot, a bed-roll, and a ceremonial umbrella to a seated worthy recipient; a marriage-gift (kanyā-dāna) is symbolized respectfully in a secondary vignette; an eloquent maidservant stands with folded hands, representing service-gift in old idiom.

Characters & Entities

• dāna
• pātra (worthy recipient)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit depends not only on giving but on giving appropriately—directed to a worthy recipient with the intention of śreyas (true good).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The dāna teaching is part of the Maṇināgeśvara Māhātmya in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give specified gifts (water, bed, umbrella, etc.) to a qualified pātra when seeking spiritual welfare.