Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

वर्द्धते धर्मराशिश्च शुक्लपक्षे यथा शशी । यथा रत्नानि वर्द्धंते समुद्रे विविधान्यपि

Transliteration

varddhate dharmarāśiśca śuklapakṣe yathā śaśī | yathā ratnāni varddhaṃte samudre vividhānyapi

Translation

กองบุญธรรมย่อมเพิ่มพูน ดุจพระจันทร์ที่เจริญในปักษ์สว่าง; ดุจอัญมณีนานาประการที่เพิ่มพูนอยู่ในมหาสมุทรด้วย

Word by Word

• varddhate: increases, grows
• varddhate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛdh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• dharma-rāśiḥ: heap/collection of dharma (merit)
• dharma-rāśiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + rāśi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• śukla-pakṣe: in the bright fortnight
• śukla-pakṣe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• yathā: as, just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative particle)

• śaśī: the moon
• śaśī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• yathā: as, just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative particle)

• ratnāni: gems
• ratnāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• varddhante: increase, grow
• varddhante: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛdh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• samudre: in the ocean
• samudre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• vividhāni: various, diverse
• vividhāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifying) ratnāni

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक अव्यय (also/even)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Brāhma Khaṇḍa Setu-māhātmya style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setutīrtha (Setu)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (twice-born) implied as addressed audience in the surrounding verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene seashore at Setu: pilgrims facing the ocean at dawn; above them the waxing moon; beneath the waves, glints of many jewels—visual metaphor for dharma increasing unseen yet real.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmasetu (Setu)
• Ocean (Samudra)
• Moon (Śaśin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit (dharma-puṇya) is depicted as something that can steadily grow through sacred practice, like natural increase seen in the cosmos.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu/Rāmasetu, implicitly continuing the praise of Setu-snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is added here; it poetically explains the growth of dharma attributed to Setu-snāna.