Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

मधुस्कन्देऽपि मधुना मिश्रितान्यस्तिलान्ददेत् । नासौ वैवस्वतं देवं पश्येद्वै जन्मसप्ततिम्

Transliteration

madhuskande'pi madhunā miśritānyastilāndadet | nāsau vaivasvataṃ devaṃ paśyedvai janmasaptatim

Translation

又在摩杜斯坎达（Madhuskanda）处，若有人布施以蜂蜜调和的芝麻（tila），则七十世之中不见毗婆斯瓦塔（Vaivasvata，即阎摩），死亡之神。

Word by Word

• madhuskande: in Madhuskanda
• madhuskande: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक) + skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मधुनः स्कन्दः) — Locative singular masculine

• api: also
• api: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — also/even

• madhunā: with honey
• madhunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular neuter

• miśritān: mixed
• miśritān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: miśrita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √miśr/miśra धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Past passive participle used adjectivally: mixed

• tilān: sesame seeds
• tilān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Accusative plural masculine

• dadet: should give
• dadet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — should give

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• asau: that person/he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Demonstrative pronoun nominative singular masculine

• vaivasvatam: of Vivasvat (Yama)
• vaivasvatam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaivasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular masculine (qualifying देवं)

• devam: the god (Yama)
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular masculine

• paśyet: would see
• paśyet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — would see

• vai: indeed
• vai: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• janma-saptatim: for seventy births
• janma-saptatim: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time extent/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक) + saptati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जन्मनां सप्ततिः) — Accusative singular feminine (extent)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continued context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Madhuskanda

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied Bhārata (continuation of address in the passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a river ghat marked ‘Madhuskanda’, a devotee offers a bowl of black sesame glistening with honey to a brāhmaṇa; in the background, a distant, shadowy Yama figure with buffalo mount turns away, indicating ‘not beheld’.

Characters & Entities

• Madhuskanda
• Vaivasvata (Yama)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed at a consecrated place, with the right substance and intention, is presented as a shield against fear and misfortune associated with death and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Madhuskanda tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate sesame seeds (tila) mixed with honey (madhu) at Madhuskanda.