Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 182

Devanagari script

औद्वाहिकं ते भूपाल कथ्यतां किं ददाम्यहम् । दुष्प्रापमपि दास्यामि विद्यते मे महत्तपः

Transliteration

audvāhikaṃ te bhūpāla kathyatāṃ kiṃ dadāmyaham | duṣprāpamapi dāsyāmi vidyate me mahattapaḥ

Translation

“โอ้ ภูปาละ จงบอกเถิดว่าของกำนัลวิวาห์ใดที่เจ้าปรารถนา—เราควรมอบสิ่งใดแก่เจ้า? แม้สิ่งที่ได้มายาก เราก็จักประทาน เพราะเรามีตบะอันยิ่งใหญ่”

Word by Word

• औद्वाहिकम्: wedding-gift
• औद्वाहिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: औद्वाहिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Dative)

• भूपाल: O king
• भूपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपाल (प्रातिपदिक: भू + पाल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भूः पालः)

• कथ्यताम्: let it be told
• कथ्यताम्: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• ददामि: I give
• ददामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दुष्प्रापम्: hard to obtain
• दुष्प्रापम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्-प्राप (प्रातिपदिक: दुष् + प्राप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (किम्/औद्वाहिकम्)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• दास्यामि: I will give
• दास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विद्यते: exists
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु; ‘विद्यते’ = ‘exists’)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्तरि-प्रयोग (intransitive: exists)

• मे: in me / my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Pratijñā/Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तपः)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

The sage (father of the bride; addressed to the king/son-in-law)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpāla (king; son-in-law)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After the wedding, the sage speaks to the king/son-in-law, offering an audvāhika gift; the sage’s aura suggests accumulated tapas as a luminous force behind his words.

Characters & Entities

• bhūpāla (king)
• audvāhika (wedding gift)
• tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity, when aligned with dharma, becomes a legitimate source of blessing and benevolent giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Prabhāsa region’s Vastrāpathakṣetra tradition, later tied to Revati-kuṇḍa and Raivataka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Audvāhika-dāna (wedding-gift giving) is explicitly mentioned as part of vivāha-dharma.