Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

प्रदीपदो निर्मलाक्षो गोदाताऽर्यमलोकभाक् । स्वर्णदाता च दीर्घायुस्तिलदः स्यात्तु सुप्रजाः

Transliteration

pradīpado nirmalākṣo godātā'ryamalokabhāk | svarṇadātā ca dīrghāyustiladaḥ syāttu suprajāḥ

Translation

ผู้ถวายประทีปย่อมได้ทัศนะอันผ่องใสบริสุทธิ์ ผู้ถวายโคย่อมบรรลุโลกของยมะ ผู้ถวายทองย่อมมีอายุยืน และผู้ถวายงาย่อมได้รับพรให้มีบุตรหลานอันประเสริฐ

Word by Word

• प्रदीपदः: giver of lamps
• प्रदीपदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदीप + द (प्रातिपदिक; दा-धातोः कृत ‘द’=दाता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रदीपस्य दः/दाता)

• निर्मलाक्षः: having pure eyes
• निर्मलाक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (निर्मलानि अक्षीणि यस्य)

• गोदाता: giver of cows
• गोदाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + दातृ (प्रातिपदिक; दा-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गवां दाता)

• आर्यमलोकभाक्: attainer of the world of the noble (Aryas)
• आर्यमलोकभाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्यमलोक + भज् (धातु) (कृदन्त ‘भाक्’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; ‘भाक्’=भज्-धातोः कृत् (क्विप्), अर्थः ‘भागी/प्राप्त’

• स्वर्णदाता: giver of gold
• स्वर्णदाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ण + दातृ (प्रातिपदिक; दा-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्णस्य दाता)

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

• दीर्घायुः: long-lived
• दीर्घायुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (दीर्घम् आयुः यस्य)

• तिलदः: giver of sesame
• तिलदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल + द (प्रातिपदिक; दा-धातोः कृत ‘द’=दाता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तिलस्य दः/दाता)

• स्यात्: would be / becomes
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• सुप्रजाः: having good offspring
• सुप्रजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सु-प्रजाः यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a Kāśī ghāṭ at dusk, devotees offer rows of oil lamps; a donor presents a cow to a brāhmaṇa; another offers gold and sesame in a ritual tray, with Viśvanātha’s spire in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (Aryaman/Yamaloka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity (dāna) purifies life and yields specific spiritual fruits—clarity, longevity, and family welfare—when done as dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra) where dharmic acts like dāna are especially praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna of a lamp, cow, gold, and sesame—each with a stated fruit (phala).