Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

हेमभारशतं नित्यं सवत्सं कपिलायुतम् । प्रेक्षणीयप्रदानेन तत्फलं प्राप्नुयात्कलौ

Transliteration

hemabhāraśataṃ nityaṃ savatsaṃ kapilāyutam | prekṣaṇīyapradānena tatphalaṃ prāpnuyātkalau

Translation

ในกาลียุค ผู้ใดถวายทานอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ชื่อว่า ‘เปรกษณียะ’ ย่อมได้ผลบุญเทียบเท่าการถวายทองคำหนึ่งร้อยภาระ และโคกะปิลาหนึ่งพันตัวพร้อมลูกโคทุกตัว

Word by Word

• हेम: gold
• हेम: Sambandha (Association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (in compound stem)

• भार: load/weight
• भार: Sambandha (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (in compound stem)

• शतम्: a hundred (weights)
• शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/परिमाणार्थः (हेमभारस्य शतम्)

• नित्यम्: always/constantly
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (adverbial accusative)

• सवत्सम्: with its calf
• सवत्सम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (वत्सेन सह) विशेषणम्

• कपिला: a tawny cow (kapilā)
• कपिला: Sambandha (Association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (in compound stem; 'tawny cow')

• आयुतम्: endowed/associated (with)
• आयुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासार्थे 'कपिलाभिः आयुतम्' (endowed with kapilā-cows) विशेषणम्

• प्रेक्षणीय: worthy to be seen
• प्रेक्षणीय: Sambandha (Qualifier within compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र+ईक्ष् (धातु) → प्रेक्षणीय (तव्य/अनीयर्)
• Form: कृदन्त (अनीयर्/तव्यार्थ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (in compound stem); 'to be seen/fit to be beheld'

• प्रदानेन: by the giving (of such a sight-worthy gift)
• प्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करणम्; समासः तत्पुरुषः (प्रेक्षणीयस्य प्रदानम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

• प्राप्नुयात्: would attain
• प्राप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (time-locative)

Speaker

Narrator within Dvārakā-māhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘पुत्र’ (son) addressed within the narrative; Skanda is addressed as Ṣaṇmukha in nearby verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Dvārakā offers a symbolic ‘prekṣaṇīya’ gift before Padmanābha, while celestial accountants weigh it as equal to heaps of gold and a herd of tawny cows with calves.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kali-yuga dharma emphasizes accessible yet potent forms of dāna that yield fruits comparable to grand ancient gifts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This merit statement belongs to the Dvārakā-māhātmya narrative stream of the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing the specified charity called prekṣaṇīya-pradāna, praised as yielding immense merit in Kali-yuga.