Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

गोदानं चात्र शंसंति सुवर्णं द्विजपुंगवे । अन्नदानं विशेषेण सर्वपापप्रशांतये

Transliteration

godānaṃ cātra śaṃsaṃti suvarṇaṃ dvijapuṃgave | annadānaṃ viśeṣeṇa sarvapāpapraśāṃtaye

Translation

یہاں گودان اور سونے کے دان کی تعریف کی جاتی ہے، اے بہترین دِوِج! سب سے بڑھ کر اَنّ دان کی ستائش ہے، کیونکہ وہ ہر گناہ کی تسکین کا سبب ہے۔

Word by Word

• गोदानम्: gift of a cow
• गोदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• शंसन्ति: praise, commend
• शंसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• सुवर्णम्: gold (as a gift)
• सुवर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन; (दानम्) इत्यर्थे कर्मपदम्

• द्विजपुङ्गवे: O best of Brahmins (twice-born)
• द्विजपुङ्गवे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + पुङ्गव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/सप्तमी (Voc./Loc.), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रायः (O best of twice-born)

• अन्नदानम्: gift of food
• अन्नदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्ययवत्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial instrumental: ‘especially’)

• सर्वपापप्रशान्तये: for the complete pacification of all sins
• सर्वपापप्रशान्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पाप + प्रशान्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (dāna-kṣetra emphasis)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-puṅgava (addressed: ‘O best of the twice-born’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrimage setting with donors offering food to lines of pilgrims and ascetics; a cow being gifted ceremonially; a brahmin recipient blessing; the sea-breeze/coastal Prabhāsa ambiance in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Go-dāna
• Suvarṇa-dāna
• Anna-dāna
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma elevates charity—especially feeding others—as a powerful purifier and stabilizer of spiritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where dāna is presented as particularly fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-dāna (cow-gift), suvarṇa-dāna (gold-gift), and especially anna-dāna (food-gift) for the cessation of sins.