Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

हिरण्यं तत्र दातव्यं ब्राह्मणे शंसितव्रते । गोदानं विधिवत्तत्र देयं चैव द्विजन्मने

Transliteration

hiraṇyaṃ tatra dātavyaṃ brāhmaṇe śaṃsitavrate | godānaṃ vidhivattatra deyaṃ caiva dvijanmane

Translation

وہاں ستودہ ورتوں میں ثابت قدم برہمن کو سونا دان کرنا چاہیے؛ اور وہیں شریعتِ ودھی کے مطابق گائے کا دان کر کے دِویج (دو بار جنما) کو نذر کرنا چاہیے۔

Word by Word

• hiraṇyam: gold
• hiraṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-वाक्ये कर्तृस्थानी/विधेय-विषयः

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• dātavyam: should be given
• dātavyam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dātavya (प्रातिपदिक; √dā (धातु) तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थक-कर्तव्यता (gerundive: ‘to be given’)

• brāhmaṇe: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सम्प्रदानम्

• śaṃsitavrate: (to the Brahmin) of praised vows
• śaṃsitavrate: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃsita + vrata (प्रातिपदिक; śaṃsita = √śaṃs (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपसदृश; अत्र brāhmaṇe इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण चतुर्थी-एकवचनार्थे (brāhmaṇe ... śaṃsitavrate); ‘प्रशंसित-व्रत’ इति विशेषणम्

• godānam: gift of a cow
• godānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विषयः

• vidhivat: according to proper rite
• vidhivat: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhivat (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘according to rule’)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• deyam: is to be given
• deyam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deya (प्रातिपदिक; √dā (धातु) यत्/ण्यत्-भावे कर्तव्यता)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तव्यता—‘to be given’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle of emphasis)

• dvijanmane: to the twice-born (Brahmin)
• dvijanmane: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvijanman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सम्प्रदानम्; बहुव्रीहिः—‘द्वि जन्म यस्य’ (ब्राह्मणः)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa offers gold and a decorated cow to a vow-observant brāhmaṇa near a sacred precinct; attendants hold water-pot and kusa grass; the sea-breeze and temple banners suggest the coastal tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Hiraṇya-dāna
• Go-dāna
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by dharma: devotion must culminate in generosity and support of the virtuous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where dāna is recommended as part of tīrtha-dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hiraṇya-dāna (donation of gold) and go-dāna (gifting a cow) to qualified recipients, performed vidhivat (according to rite).