Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

विधिना यो नृपश्रेष्ठ कुरुते वृषमोक्षणम् । तस्य यत्फलमुद्दिष्टं पुराणे रुद्रभाषितम्

Transliteration

vidhinā yo nṛpaśreṣṭha kurute vṛṣamokṣaṇam | tasya yatphalamuddiṣṭaṃ purāṇe rudrabhāṣitam

Translation

يا خيرَ الملوك، من أجرى على الوجه الشرعيّ شعيرةَ إطلاق الثور (vṛṣamokṣaṇa)، نال يقينًا الثمرةَ التي يذكرها البورانا على لسان رودرا لذلك العمل.

Word by Word

• vidhinā: by (proper) rule/rite
• vidhinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• nṛpaśreṣṭha: O best of kings
• nṛpaśreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa-śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• kurute: does, performs
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• vṛṣamokṣaṇam: release of a bull
• vṛṣamokṣaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa-mokṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वृषस्य मोक्षणम्)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (which)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• uddiṣṭam: declared
• uddiṣṭam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-diś (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘निर्दिष्ट’ (stated)

• purāṇe: in the Purāṇa
• purāṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• rudrabhāṣitam: spoken by Rudra
• rudrabhāṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rudra-bhāṣita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रुद्रेण भाषितम्)

Speaker

Narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing a king (nṛpa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla Tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (nṛpaśreṣṭha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kingly patron releases a decorated bull at a riverside shrine; priests recite Rudra-mantras, the bull is garlanded and marked as protected, and villagers offer fodder—emphasizing dharma and care.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Purāṇa
• vṛṣamokṣaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rites performed with correct vidhi (procedure) carry the full promised spiritual fruit as affirmed by Rudra’s Purāṇic teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding passage pertains to Śukla Tīrtha within the Revā-khaṇḍa’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vṛṣamokṣaṇa—ritually releasing a bull—performed according to established procedure.