Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

गृहप्रासादविद्याभूगोकूपप्राणहाटकम् । एतान्युत्तमदानानि उत्तमद्रव्यदानतः

Transliteration

gṛhaprāsādavidyābhūgokūpaprāṇahāṭakam | etānyuttamadānāni uttamadravyadānataḥ

Translation

如施舍房屋、宫第、教育、田地、牛群、井泉、救命之恩与黄金——此等皆为“上等布施”，以其所施之物殊胜，且为生命之所依。

Word by Word

• गृह-प्रासाद-विद्या-भू-गो-कूप-प्राण-हाटकम्: house, palace, learning, land, cow, well, life, gold (as items)
• गृह-प्रासाद-विद्या-भू-गो-कूप-प्राण-हाटकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक) + विद्या (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (प्रातिपदिक) + गो (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + हाटक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्वसमास (collective copulative): नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘(the set of) house, palace, learning, land, cow, well, life, gold’

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• उत्तम-दानानि: excellent gifts
• उत्तम-दानानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (उत्तमानि दानानि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• उत्तम-द्रव्य-दानतः: by (the criterion of) giving excellent materials
• उत्तम-द्रव्य-दानतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/हेतु-निर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास + तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय: ‘from/according to giving of excellent substances’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence of ‘excellent gifts’: a donor grants a house deed, a teacher instructs students (vidyā-dāna), a field boundary is marked (bhū-dāna), cows are gifted (go-dāna), a well is dug (kūpa), a physician rescues a life (prāṇa-dāna), and gold is offered (hāṭaka).

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest charity is that which sustains life, knowledge, and livelihood—especially life-saving help and foundational resources like land, water, and cows.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific sacred place is named; the verse enumerates high-merit forms of dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A list of ‘uttama’ (excellent) donations: housing, education, land, cows, wells, saving life, and gold.