Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

दुर्भिक्षे चान्नदातॄणां पुंसां भवति यत्फलम् । संन्यासिनां सहस्रैस्तु यत्फलं भोजितैः कलौ । फलं तत्समवाप्नोति कुर्वतां जागरं हरेः

Transliteration

durbhikṣe cānnadātṝṇāṃ puṃsāṃ bhavati yatphalam | saṃnyāsināṃ sahasraistu yatphalaṃ bhojitaiḥ kalau | phalaṃ tatsamavāpnoti kurvatāṃ jāgaraṃ hareḥ

Translation

บุญผลที่ผู้คนได้จากการให้ทานอาหารยามทุพภิกขภัย และบุญผลในกาลียุคจากการเลี้ยงภัตตาหารสันยาสีถึงพันรูป—ผู้ที่ทำชาครณะแด่พระหริย่อมได้ผลนั้นโดยประการเดียวกัน

Word by Word

• durbhikṣe: in famine
• durbhikṣe: Adhikarana (Locus/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durbhikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण) विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• anna-dātṝṇām: of food-givers
• anna-dātṝṇām: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक) + dātṛ (प्रातिपदिक; √dā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अन्नस्य दातारः)

• puṃsām: of men
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध) विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• bhavati: arises/is
• bhavati: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• yat-phalam: whatever fruit
• yat-phalam: Karma/Prameya
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (यद्-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• saṃnyāsinām: of renunciants
• saṃnyāsinām: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃnyāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sahasraiḥ: by thousands
• sahasraiḥ: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• yat-phalam: whatever fruit
• yat-phalam: Karma/Prameya
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (यद्-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• bhojitaiḥ: by feeding (them)
• bhojitaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhuj (धातु, ‘to eat/enjoy’) → bhojita (कृदन्त, णिच् + क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त causative + क्त); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘(संन्यासिनां) भोजितैः’ = by (having) fed (them)

• kalau: in the Kali age
• kalau: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण) विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कलियुगे’ इत्यर्थः

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म) विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक, सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘फलम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• samavāpnoti: fully attains
• samavāpnoti: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ava-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• kurvatām: of those performing
• kurvatām: Sambandha (Genitive: of performers)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) → kurvat (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘of those who do/perform’

• jāgaram: the vigil
• jāgaram: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म) विभक्ति, एकवचन

• hareḥ: of Hari
• hareḥ: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Dvārakā Māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two juxtaposed vignettes: (1) famine relief—devotees distributing food; (2) a night vigil before Hari—lamps, chanting, and listening. The message: compassion and devotion converge in merit.

Characters & Entities

• Hari

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional wakefulness for Hari (jāgara) is praised as an exceptionally powerful dharmic act, equal to great charities like feeding the hungry in famine and feeding many renunciants in Kali Yuga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs in the Dvārakā Māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), thereby supporting the sacred stature of Dvārakā as a Vaiṣṇava tīrtha where Hari-centered vows and worship yield immense merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is to perform Hari-jāgara—keeping a devotional night vigil for Hari—presented as a vrata whose fruit equals major acts of dāna such as annadāna in famine and feeding large numbers of saṃnyāsins.