Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

दाने युगसहस्राणि स्वर्गलोके महीयते । मा गच्छ हिमवत्पृष्ठं मलयं मा च मन्दरम्

Transliteration

dāne yugasahasrāṇi svargaloke mahīyate | mā gaccha himavatpṛṣṭhaṃ malayaṃ mā ca mandaram

Translation

ด้วยทานเช่นนี้ ย่อมได้รับการสรรเสริญในสวรรค์โลกตลอดพันยุค อย่าไปยังสันเขาหิมวัต อย่าไปมลยะ และอย่าไปมันทรา

Word by Word

• dāne: in (the act of) giving/charity
• dāne: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; अर्थे—‘दाने’ (in giving)

• yuga-sahasrāṇi: thousands of ages (yugas)
• yuga-sahasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘युगानां सहस्राणि’ (thousands of yugas)

• svarga-loke: in heaven
• svarga-loke: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘स्वर्गस्य लोके’ (in heaven-world)

• mahīyate: is glorified / attains greatness
• mahīyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mah (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः—‘महिमानं प्राप्नोति/पूज्यते’

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; निषेध ‘मा’ सह—prohibitive sense

• himavat-pṛṣṭham: the slopes/back of Himavat (Himalaya)
• himavat-pṛṣṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himavat (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘हिमवतः पृष्ठम्’ (the back/slope of Himavat)

• malayam: (Mount) Malaya
• malayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: malaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mandaram: (Mount) Mandara
• mandaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mandara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-like figure gestures away from distant iconic mountains (snowy Himavat, lush Malaya, mythic Mandara) and points toward the local Dāmodara/Prabhāsa sacred precinct where dāna yields immense heavenly honor.

Characters & Entities

• Himavat
• Malaya
• Mandara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed in the praised sacred context yields long-lasting heavenly merit, surpassing other famed destinations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly, the Vastrāpathakṣetra/Prabhāsa tīrtha is being elevated above even renowned mountains like Himavat, Malaya, and Mandara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna is highlighted as the key act, with an exhortation to prioritize this tīrtha over other pilgrimage locales.