Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

कन्यासहस्रं विधिवद्ददाति रत्नैरलंकृत्य स्वधर्मबुद्ध्या । गवां सहस्रं कुरुजांगले तु तेषां परं जागरणेन विष्णोः

Transliteration

kanyāsahasraṃ vidhivaddadāti ratnairalaṃkṛtya svadharmabuddhyā | gavāṃ sahasraṃ kurujāṃgale tu teṣāṃ paraṃ jāgaraṇena viṣṇoḥ

Translation

แม้ผู้ใดจะถวายทานหญิงพรหมจารีหนึ่งพัน ตามพิธีอันถูกต้อง ด้วยจิตสำนึกแห่งธรรม และประดับด้วยรัตนะ หรือจะถวายโคหนึ่งพัน ณ กุรุชางคละก็ตาม แต่ผลแห่งการตื่นเฝ้าราตรีเพื่อพระวิษณุยังถูกประกาศว่าสูงยิ่งกว่าทานเหล่านั้น

Word by Word

• कन्यासहस्रम्: a thousand maidens
• कन्यासहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कन्यानां सहस्रम्)

• विधिवत्: properly, as prescribed
• विधिवत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (according to rule)

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• रत्नैः: with jewels
• रत्नैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• अलंकृत्य: having adorned
• अलंकृत्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अलम्+कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having adorned’

• स्वधर्मबुद्ध्या: with the intention of one’s own duty
• स्वधर्मबुद्ध्या: Karana/Hetu (Means/Motive/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वधर्मे बुद्धिः)

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• कुरुजाङ्गले: in Kurujāṅgala (a region)
• कुरुजाङ्गले: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुजाङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (देशवाचक), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (कुरूणां जाङ्गलः देशः)

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

• तेषाम्: for them / of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• परम्: supreme (result)
• परम्: Karma (Implied object/result/फल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (फलम्/श्रेष्ठम्—अध्याहृत)

• जागरणेन: by the vigil
• जागरणेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (implied continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic comparison: lavish scenes of kanya-dāna with jeweled brides and go-dāna with a thousand cows fade into the background, while the central luminous act is a simple night-vigil before Viṣṇu.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Kurujāṅgala
• Dāna (charity)
• Jāgaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional observance (vigil for Viṣṇu) can surpass even celebrated forms of ritual charity when performed with faith and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya frame; the verse emphasizes merit (puṇya) rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Viṣṇu-jāgaraṇa (night-vigil), and as comparators: kanyā-dāna and go-dāna performed vidhivat.