Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

बालत्वेऽपि च सोऽश्राति यद्दत्तं दम्भकारणात् । दत्तमन्यायतो वित्तं वै चार्थकारणम्

Transliteration

bālatve'pi ca so'śrāti yaddattaṃ dambhakāraṇāt | dattamanyāyato vittaṃ vai cārthakāraṇam

Translation

แม้ในวัยหนุ่ม หากให้ทานเพราะความโอ้อวดหน้าซื่อใจคด ย่อมนำตนสู่ความพินาศ; และทรัพย์ที่ได้มาโดยอธรรม หากนำไปให้เพื่อหวังผลทางโลก ก็ย่อมนำแต่ความตกต่ำเช่นกัน

Word by Word

• bālatve: in childhood
• bālatve: Adhikarana (Time/state/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• aśrāti: enjoys/experiences
• aśrāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (धा॒तु; अश् उपभोगे)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (पाठभेदः सम्भवः: अश्नाति)

• yat: which (that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dattam: given (gift)
• dattam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dattá (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dā ‘दा’ क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्तः (given)

• dambha-kāraṇāt: from/for the cause of hypocrisy
• dambha-kāraṇāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dambha (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दम्भस्य कारणम्)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dattá (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dā क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘वित्तम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• anyāyataḥ: unjustly / by injustice
• anyāyataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from unjustly/through injustice’)

• vittam: wealth
• vittam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• artha-kāraṇam: (done) for the sake of gain
• artha-kāraṇam: Karta-predicative (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अर्थस्य कारणम्)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wealthy donor performs a public donation with trumpets and onlookers, while a shadowy figure behind counts gains; the scene subtly shows the donor’s fall—cracked pedestal, wilting garlands—symbolizing ruin from hypocrisy and unjust wealth.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity must be pure in motive; giving done for show or profit destroys merit and brings harm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it teaches general Purāṇic dharma about righteous giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implicitly regulates dāna: avoid hypocritical giving and avoid giving wealth acquired through injustice.