Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

आहूय ब्राह्मणान्निःस्वान्दातुं समुपचक्रमे । यत्किंचिन्नारदेनोक्तं दानसौभाग्यवर्धनम्

Transliteration

āhūya brāhmaṇānniḥsvāndātuṃ samupacakrame | yatkiṃcinnāradenoktaṃ dānasaubhāgyavardhanam

Translation

غریب برہمنوں کو بلا کر اس نے دان دینا شروع کیا—جو کچھ نارَد نے فرمایا تھا وہی کیا؛ ایسا صدقہ جو سعادتمندی اور مبارک خوشحالی بڑھاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• आहूय: having summoned
• आहूय: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + हु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having summoned/called’

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• निःस्वान्: poor/destitute
• निःस्वान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःस्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘ब्राह्मणान्’)

• दातुम्: to give (charity)
• दातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययभाव; ‘to give’

• समुपचक्रमे: began/undertook
• समुपचक्रमे: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उप + क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यत्: whatever which
• यत्: Karma (Object—correlative with ‘किंचित्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• किंचित्: anything/something
• किंचित्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

• नारदेन: by Narada
• नारदेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• उक्तम्: said
• उक्तम्: Predicate participle (qualifying ‘यत्किंचित्’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said’

• दानसौभाग्यवर्धनम्: increasing the fortune of giving (charity)
• दानसौभाग्यवर्धनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दान + सौभाग्य + वर्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘यत्किंचित्’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (general)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of sages/kings (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The queen, now active, summons visibly poor brāhmaṇas; attendants bring vessels of grain, cloth bundles, and coins; Nārada stands nearby as the guiding authority; the act radiates auspiciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed in obedience to dharmic counsel—especially to the needy—nourishes puṇya and increases auspicious fortune.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Revā Khaṇḍa context (the Narmadā/Revā sacred geography), though this particular line emphasizes dāna rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving (dāna) to poor brāhmaṇas as instructed by Nārada—charity framed as a saubhāgya-enhancing dharmic act.