Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यत्फलं लभते मर्त्यः सत्रे द्वादशवार्षिके । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

yatphalaṃ labhate martyaḥ satre dvādaśavārṣike | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

بارہ برس کے سَتر یَجْن میں جو پھل ایک فانی انسان پاتا ہے، وہی پھل وہ (اس دان کے ذریعے) حاصل کر لیتا ہے؛ اس میں کسی شک و تردد کی گنجائش نہیں۔

Word by Word

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular; सम्बन्धसूचक (फलम् इत्यस्य विशेषण)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular; आत्मनेपद

• मर्त्यः: a mortal man
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• सत्रे: in a sacrificial session (sattra)
• सत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• द्वादशवार्षिके: in the twelve-year (sattra)
• द्वादशवार्षिके: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश + वार्षिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular; विशेषण (सत्रे); समासः द्विगु (द्वादश वर्षाणि यस्य)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular; विशेषण (फलम्)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• समवाप्नोति: fully attains
• समवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+अव+आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — negation particle

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — indeclinable adverb ‘here/in this matter’

• कार्या: to be done/necessary
• कार्या: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular; विधेय-विशेषण (विचारणा)

• विचारणा: consideration/deliberation
• विचारणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic juxtaposition: on one side a grand Vedic satra with multiple fires and priests; on the other, a humble donor giving a pot of water and food—both radiating equal merit-light.

Characters & Entities

• Satra (12-year sacrifice)
• Dāna (implied from prior verse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate charity is presented as equal in merit to the most demanding long-term ritual sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Varuṇeśvara tīrtha context, highlighting the tīrtha-linked power of dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is the gift described previously (water vessel with food), whose merit is compared to a twelve-year satra.