Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

मकरस्थेऽपि संक्रांतौ कृशरान्नं ददाति न । तिलान्सुवर्णं तारं वा वस्त्रं वा फलमेव च । शाकपत्रं स पुष्पं वा न ददाति तथेंधनम्

Transliteration

makarasthe'pi saṃkrāṃtau kṛśarānnaṃ dadāti na | tilānsuvarṇaṃ tāraṃ vā vastraṃ vā phalameva ca | śākapatraṃ sa puṣpaṃ vā na dadāti tatheṃdhanam

Translation

แม้ในมกรสังกรานติ เมื่อสุริยะเข้าสู่ราศีมกร เขาก็มิได้ถวายทานข้าวกฤษระ เขาไม่ให้ทั้งงา ทอง เงิน ผ้า หรือแม้ผลไม้ ไม่ให้ทั้งผักใบ ดอกไม้ และแม้แต่ฟืนก็ไม่ให้

Word by Word

• makarasthe: when (the sun) is in Makara (Capricorn)
• makarasthe: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: makara (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष/अधिकरण): ‘मकरे स्थिते’; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular; ‘when (the sun) is in Capricorn’)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• saṃkrāṃtau: at the saṅkrānti (solar transit)
• saṃkrāṃtau: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkrānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine, locative, singular)

• kṛśarānnam: kṛśara food (rice/khichdi-like offering)
• kṛśarānnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛśara (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘कृशरायाः अन्नम्/कृशरान्नम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• dadāti: gives
• dadāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd singular)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tilān: sesame seeds
• tilān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masculine, accusative, plural)

• suvarṇam: gold
• suvarṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• tāram: silver/coin (tāra)
• tāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: or)

• vastram: cloth/garment
• vastram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

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

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: indeed/just)

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

• śākapatram: leafy greens/vegetable leaves
• śākapatram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāka (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘शाकस्य पत्रम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (pronoun; masculine, nominative, singular)

• puṣpam: flower
• puṣpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• dadāti: gives
• dadāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd singular)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise/so)

• indhanam: fuel/firewood
• indhanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Makara-saṅkrānti setting: sun motif entering Capricorn; a brāhmaṇa refuses to give; nearby, baskets of sesame, cloth, fruits, flowers, and firewood remain untouched while supplicants and cows wait; the narrator frames it as a moral failure.

Characters & Entities

• Makara Saṅkrānti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A life without dāna (charity)—even of simple items—is criticized; sacred times like Saṅkrānti are meant for generosity and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, aligning righteous giving with the sanctity of the Prabhāsa sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Saṅkrānti-time dāna: offering kṛśara food and gifts such as sesame, gold/silver, cloth, fruits, flowers, greens, and fuel.