Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

दानेन भोगानाप्नोति इत्येवं शङ्करोऽब्रवीत् । पर्वतात्पश्चिमे देशे स्वयं देवो महेश्वरः । स्थितः प्रणवरूपोऽसौ जगदादिः सनातनः

Transliteration

dānena bhogānāpnoti ityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt | parvatātpaścime deśe svayaṃ devo maheśvaraḥ | sthitaḥ praṇavarūpo'sau jagadādiḥ sanātanaḥ

Translation

“以布施（dāna）得享受”——商羯罗如是宣说。于山之西方，主宰摩诃湿伐罗亲自安住——以圣音普罗那瓦（Oṃ）之形而立，为世界原初且永恒之本源。

Word by Word

• dānena: by giving, by donation
• dānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• bhogān: enjoyments
• bhogān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचनम्

• āpnoti: obtains
• āpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (आप्)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• evaṃ: in this way
• evaṃ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of manner)

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (ब्रू)
• Form: लुङ्-लकारः (Aorist/Imperfective past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• parvatāt: from the mountain
• parvatāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचनम्

• paścime: in the western
• paścime: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (deśe इति विशेष्ये)

• deśe: in the region
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वयम्-शब्दः (indeclinable; reflexive/emphatic)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• maheśvaraḥ: Mahēśvara, the great Lord
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (महान् ईश्वरः)

• sthitaḥ: standing, situated
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā स्था + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः भूतकृदन्तः

• praṇava-rūpaḥ: having the form of Praṇava (Oṃ)
• praṇava-rūpaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रणवस्य रूपः)

• asau: that one (he)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; asau-रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• jagad-ādiḥ: the origin of the world
• jagad-ādiḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः आदिः)

• sanātanaḥ: eternal
• sanātanaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (asau/devaḥ इति)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva) is quoted; overall narration by Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Praṇava-sthāna of Maheśvara (west of the mountain)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mountain silhouette; to its west a radiant Oṃ-shaped aura above a liṅga or self-manifest light; Śaṅkara’s declaration on dāna echoed by a sage addressing a king; pilgrims offering gifts.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Maheśvara
• Praṇava (Oṃ)
• the mountain (parvata)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is both ethical and metaphysical: charity yields worldly fruition, while the Lord as Oṃ reveals the eternal ground of pilgrimage and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A western region of the sacred mountain where Maheśvara is said to be established in the form of Praṇava (Oṃ).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charitable giving) is explicitly praised as a means to obtain bhoga (worldly enjoyments/prosperity).