Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

दीनान्ध कृपणानाञ्च दानं देयं स्वशक्तितः । विशेषतः प्रदातव्यं सुवर्णं द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

dīnāndha kṛpaṇānāñca dānaṃ deyaṃ svaśaktitaḥ | viśeṣataḥ pradātavyaṃ suvarṇaṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

พึงให้ทานแก่คนยากไร้ คนตาบอด และผู้ขัดสน ตามกำลังของตน; และโอ้ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ทวิชะ พึงถวายทองคำเป็นพิเศษ

Word by Word

• दीनान्: the poor
• दीनान्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural (as recipients)

• अन्धान्: the blind
• अन्धान्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• कृपणानाम्: of the miserly/poor wretches
• कृपणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; conjunction

• दानम्: gift, charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; here as object with deyaṃ (to be given)

• देयम्: should be given
• देयम्: Vidhyartha (Obligation marker)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) → देय (कृदन्त, यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; gerundive ‘to be given’, agreeing with दानम्

• स्वशक्तितः: according to one’s capacity
• स्वशक्तितः: Hetu/Pramana (Standard/measure)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; Ablative-adverb ‘according to one’s ability’

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Prakaraṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb

• प्रदातव्यम्: must be given
• प्रदातव्यम्: Vidhyartha (Obligation marker)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + दा (धातु) → प्रदातव्य (कृदन्त, तव्यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; gerundive ‘to be given’

• सुवर्णम्: gold
• सुवर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; object of implied ‘give’

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रथमा-बहुवचन (vocative sense)

Speaker

Deductive (Dvārakā Māhātmya context within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa): a Purāṇic narrator promoting dāna as tīrtha-dharma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā-dāna (kṣetra-dāna practice)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ addressed (instructional address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim offers alms to a poor person and assistance to a blind person near a temple approach; a small gold coin/ornament is given with humility, while the recipients bless the donor; the sacred townscape frames the act.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage merit is completed by compassion—sharing wealth with those in need, within one’s means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā Māhātmya frames these gifts as part of the sacred discipline associated with Dvārakā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give charity to the poor, blind, and destitute according to capacity; gold is singled out as an especially meritorious gift.