Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

शक्तिविषये च श्लोका भवंति । कुटुंबभुक्तवसनाद्देयं यदतिरिच्यते । मध्वास्वादो विषं पश्चाद्दातुर्धर्मोऽन्यथा भवेत्

Transliteration

śaktiviṣaye ca ślokā bhavaṃti | kuṭuṃbabhuktavasanāddeyaṃ yadatiricyate | madhvāsvādo viṣaṃ paścāddāturdharmo'nyathā bhavet

Translation

استطاعت کے بارے میں یہ شلوک کہے گئے ہیں: خاندان کو کھانا اور کپڑا دے کر جو زائد بچے، وہ دان کرو۔ جو خیرات پہلے شہد کی طرح میٹھی ہو مگر بعد میں زہر بن جائے—وہ دینے والے کا دھرم الٹا، یعنی نقصان دہ ہو جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• शक्तिविषये: regarding (one’s) capacity
• शक्तिविषये: Adhikaraṇa (Topic/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति + विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘शक्तेः विषयः’ (regarding capacity)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• श्लोकाः: verses
• श्लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• भवन्ति: are/occur
• भवन्ति: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• कुटुम्बभुक्तवसनात्: from (what remains after) the family’s used clothing/needs
• कुटुम्बभुक्तवसनात्: Apādāna (Source/ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुटुम्ब + भुक्त + वसन (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘कुटुम्बेन भुक्तं वसनं’ इति (from the clothing used by the family)

• देयम्: to be given
• देयम्: Karma (Thing to be given)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + य (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be given’

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Correlative to ‘deyam’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• अतिरिच्यते: remains over/is surplus
• अतिरिच्यते: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति + रिच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• मधु-आस्वादः: the taste of honey
• मधु-आस्वादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + आस्वाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘मधोः आस्वादः’

• विषम्: poison
• विषम्: Karma/Predicative complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kāla (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• दातुः: of the giver
• दातुः: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• धर्मः: merit/dharma
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Prakāra (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder divides food and cloth: first to family members, then offers the remaining portion to a guest/ascetic; a symbolic honey pot and a hidden poison vial illustrate the metaphor of harmful charity.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna must be aligned with responsibility; give from surplus so that charity does not turn into harm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the teaching concerns ethical household charity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Support family necessities first; then donate what remains, according to one’s means.