Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

कार्पासं याम्यभागं तु नवनीतं तु नैरृते । पश्चिमे सप्तधान्यानि वायव्ये तंदुलाः स्मृताः

Transliteration

kārpāsaṃ yāmyabhāgaṃ tu navanītaṃ tu nairṛte | paścime saptadhānyāni vāyavye taṃdulāḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

جنوبی سمت میں کپاس رکھی جائے؛ جنوب مغرب (نَیرِت) میں تازہ مکھن۔ مغرب میں سات اناج رکھے جائیں، اور شمال مغرب (وایویہ) میں چاول مقرر ہیں۔

Word by Word

• kārpāsam: cotton
• kārpāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārpāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• yāmya-bhāgam: the southern quarter/portion
• yāmya-bhāgam: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāmya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (दिशा-विशेषणपूर्वकः)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• navanītam: fresh butter
• navanītam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: navanīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• nairṛte: in the south-west (Nairṛta quarter)
• nairṛte: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nairṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (दिशानाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular (in the south-west)

• paścime: in the west
• paścime: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (दिशानाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular (in the west)

• sapta-dhānyāni: seven grains (seven kinds of grain)
• sapta-dhānyāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + dhānya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (सप्तसंख्यकानि धान्यानि)

• vāyavye: in the north-west (Vāyavya quarter)
• vāyavye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyavya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (दिशानाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular (in the north-west)

• taṃḍulāḥ: rice grains
• taṃḍulāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taṃḍula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; nominative plural masculine

• smṛtāḥ: are said/are prescribed
• smṛtāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; past passive participle used predicatively (are said/are remembered)

Speaker

Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator continuing the directional arrangement for mahiṣī-dāna.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa sits facing east near a riverbank altar; the donor places cotton in the south, butter in the southwest, seven grains in the west, and rice in the northwest—each in small bowls marked by directional symbols.

Characters & Entities

• Cotton (kārpāsa)
• Butter (navanīta)
• Seven grains (sapta-dhānya)
• Rice (taṃdula)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual charity is made holistic by offering staples and livelihood-symbols in a cosmically ordered layout, aligning the giver with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is singled out in this verse; it is part of Revā-khaṇḍa’s dāna-vidhi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Place cotton in the south, butter in the southwest, seven grains in the west, and rice in the northwest as part of the donation arrangement.