Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

सूर्यग्रहे कुरुक्षेत्रे दद्याद्दानमनुत्तमम् । पश्यत्यन्यो हृषीकेशं चातुर्मास्यं समाहितः

Transliteration

sūryagrahe kurukṣetre dadyāddānamanuttamam | paśyatyanyo hṛṣīkeśaṃ cāturmāsyaṃ samāhitaḥ

Translation

ایک شخص سورج گرہن کے وقت کوروکشیتر میں بے مثال دان دے؛ مگر دوسرا، یکسو ذہن کے ساتھ، چاتُرمَاسیہ میں ہریشیکیش کے درشن کرتا ہے—اسی درشن کو اعلیٰ ترین کہا گیا ہے۔

Word by Word

• सूर्यग्रहे: at the solar eclipse
• सूर्यग्रहे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location-Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya + graha (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यस्य ग्रहः)

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: at Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kurukṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

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

• दानम्: a gift, donation
• दानम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (क्रिया/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हृषीकेशम्: Hṛṣīkeśa
• हृषीकेशम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛṣīkeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चातुर्मास्यम्: Cāturmāsya observance
• चातुर्मास्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समाहितः: composed, intent
• समाहितः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-धा (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakhaṇḍa narrative style; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kurukṣetra (grahaṇa-dāna) vs Hṛṣīkeśa-darśana in Cāturmāsya

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solar eclipse over Kurukṣetra with crowds giving gifts; contrasted with a serene devotee in a shrine before Hṛṣīkeśa during monsoon months, lamp-lit and focused.

Characters & Entities

• Kurukṣetra
• Hṛṣīkeśa
• Sūryagraha (solar eclipse)
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External merit (even eclipse-charity at famed tīrthas) is surpassed by concentrated devotion culminating in the Lord’s darśana during Cāturmāsya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kurukṣetra is referenced as a classic tīrtha for grahaṇa-dāna, while the verse exalts Hṛṣīkeśa-darśana during Cāturmāsya as the higher fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving dāna at Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse, and observing Cāturmāsya with mental steadiness oriented to Hṛṣīkeśa.