Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

तत्र दानं प्रशंसंति तिलानां मुनिपुंगवाः । तिलसंख्यानि वर्षाणि दानात्स्वर्गे वसेन्नृप

Transliteration

tatra dānaṃ praśaṃsaṃti tilānāṃ munipuṃgavāḥ | tilasaṃkhyāni varṣāṇi dānātsvarge vasennṛpa

Translation

ณ ที่นั้น ฤๅษีผู้ประเสริฐสรรเสริญการถวายทานเมล็ดงา โอ้พระราชา ด้วยทานนั้น ผู้ให้ย่อมพำนักในสวรรค์เป็นจำนวนปีเท่ากับจำนวนเมล็ดงาที่ถวาย

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• दानम्: gift; donation
• दानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• प्रशंसन्ति: praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शंस् (धातु) + प्र- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तिलानाम्: of sesame seeds
• तिलानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• मुनिपुंगवाः: the best of sages
• मुनिपुंगवाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः (मुनिषु पुंगवाः = best among sages)

• तिलसंख्यानि: as many as (the number of) sesame seeds
• तिलसंख्यानि: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (of वर्षाणि); तत्पुरुषः (तिलानां संख्या इव/तुल्या)

• वर्षाणि: years
• वर्षाणि: Karma (कर्म) (duration as object of ‘dwell’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• दानात्: from (that) donation; because of giving
• दानात्: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause: “from/by reason of”)

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• वसेत्: would dwell; may dwell
• वसेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamāśrama Tīrtha (chapter context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a sacred ford near an āśrama, sages instruct a king; the king offers heaps of sesame into a donor’s hands beside ritual vessels and a small fire/kalasha, with the tīrtha waters glinting nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Sesame (tila)
• Munipuṅgavaḥ
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity offered in a sacred setting multiplies in fruit; even simple gifts like sesame become vehicles of great merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gautamāśrama tīrtha-region described in Arbuda Khaṇḍa, where dāna is especially praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tila-dāna—donation of sesame seeds—commended by sages with a stated heavenly reward.