Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

यो दद्यादयने कौर्मं हेमकूर्मसमन्वितम् । गोसहस्रप्रदानस्य स फलं प्राप्नुयान्नरः

Transliteration

yo dadyādayane kaurmaṃ hemakūrmasamanvitam | gosahasrapradānasya sa phalaṃ prāpnuyānnaraḥ

Translation

Sinumang sa panahon ng ayana (paglipat ng solstice) ay maghandog ng Kaurma na may kasamang gintong pagong, ang taong iyon ay tatanggap ng bunga ng kabutihang katumbas ng pag-aalay ng isang libong baka.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• दद्याद्: should give
• दद्याद्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• अयने: at the solstice (ayana)
• अयने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• कौर्मम्: a tortoise (Kūrma) item/figure
• कौर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• हेमकूर्मसमन्वितम्: accompanied with a golden tortoise
• हेमकूर्मसमन्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम + कूर्म + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्+अन्वि (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (हेमकूर्मेण/हेमकूर्मैः समन्वितम्) (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• गोसहस्रप्रदानस्य: of the gift of a thousand cows
• गोसहस्रप्रदानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + सहस्र + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गोसहस्रस्य प्रदानम्) (Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• प्राप्नुयात्: would obtain
• प्राप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kūrma-dāna (associated with Kūrma-avatāra remembrance)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor at a solstitial rite offers a small golden tortoise on a tray to a brāhmaṇa, with the sun at a turning point (ayana), sacred fire, and Prabhāsa coastal-temple ambience in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Ayana
• Hema-kūrma (golden tortoise)
• Go-sahasra (thousand cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Symbolic, time-aligned charity can carry immense merit—Purāṇas equate specific dānas with great traditional gifts like go-sahasra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded within Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, implying such acts are especially meritorious in the Prabhāsa sacred sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

At an ayana (solar turning), perform Kaurma-dāna with a golden tortoise; its fruit equals donating a thousand cows.