Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

दशकूपसमावापी दशवापी समं सरः । दशसरःसमा कन्या दशकन्यासमः क्रतुः

Transliteration

daśakūpasamāvāpī daśavāpī samaṃ saraḥ | daśasaraḥsamā kanyā daśakanyāsamaḥ kratuḥ

Translation

一座阶井胜过十口井；一方湖泊胜过十座阶井；将一位少女以婚嫁之施舍奉献，胜过十方湖泊；而一次祭祀（yajña）又胜过十次此类嫁女之施。

Word by Word

• दशकूपसमावापी: a pond equal to ten wells
• दशकूपसमावापी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश-कूप-सम-आवापी (प्रातिपदिक; दश + कूप + सम + आवापी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘दशकूपसम’ इति विशेषण-पूर्वपद (a pond equal to ten wells)

• दशवापी: (and) ten ponds
• दशवापी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश-वापी (प्रातिपदिक; दश + वापी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Prakara (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: equal)

• सरः: a lake
• सरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दशसरःसमा: equal to ten lakes
• दशसरःसमा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश-सरस्-सम (प्रातिपदिक; दश + सरस् + सम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘कन्या’ इति विशेषण (equal to ten lakes)

• कन्या: a maiden/daughter
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दशकन्यासमः: equal to ten maidens
• दशकन्यासमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश-कन्या-सम (प्रातिपदिक; दश + कन्या + सम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘क्रतुः’ इति विशेषण (equal to ten maidens)

• क्रतुः: a sacrifice (rite)
• क्रतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextually within Devī’s instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kūpa–Vāpī–Saraḥ dāna-tāratamya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau showing four tiers: wells, step-wells, lakes, a wedding gift of a maiden, and a grand sacrifice—arranged as symbolic vignettes illustrating the merit hierarchy.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma compares merits to emphasize increasingly expansive benefit—public water works, social dharma, and finally yajña.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse presents a general merit-scale used in dharma teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of kratu (yajña) is praised as a high-merit act; water-works and kanyā-dāna are also implied as meritorious.