Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

प्रदक्षिणा कृता तेन सशैलवनकानना । कपिलापञ्चगव्येन यः स्नापयति शङ्करम्

Transliteration

pradakṣiṇā kṛtā tena saśailavanakānanā | kapilāpañcagavyena yaḥ snāpayati śaṅkaram

Translation

بِتلكَ الطَّوافَةِ التَّعبُّديّةِ (برَدَكشِنا) التي أداها، يكونُ ثوابُه كمن طافَ بالأرضِ بما فيها من جبالٍ وغاباتٍ وبساتين. ومن يَغسِلُ شَنْكَرَ (Śaṅkara) بالبانتشاغافيا من بقرةِ كَبِلا (Kapilā)…

Word by Word

• प्रदक्षिणा: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृता: done/performed
• कृता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘प्रदक्षिणा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• सशैलवनकानना: together with mountains, forests, and groves
• सशैलवनकानना: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्ययार्थ) + शैल (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स-’ उपपदपूर्वकः समासः—‘शैलवनकाननैः सह’ इत्यर्थः; ‘प्रदक्षिणा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कपिलापञ्चगव्येन: with the five products of a tawny cow
• कपिलापञ्चगव्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चगव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘कपिलायाः पञ्चगव्यं’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• स्नापयति: causes to bathe / bathes (someone)
• स्नापयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + णिच् (प्रयोजक)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• शङ्करम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (contextual narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā-associated Śaiva tīrtha; specific name not stated here)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa/narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee circumambulates a Śiva-liṅga shrine near the Revā’s banks; attendants prepare pañcagavya for abhiṣeka; the landscape suggests mountains, forests, and groves as a cosmic metaphor for the merit of pradakṣiṇā.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Kapilā
• Pañcagavya
• Pradakṣiṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple devotional acts—circumambulation and Śiva-abhiṣeka—are magnified as vast, world-encompassing merit when done with purity and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha teaching, while directly glorifying Śaṅkara worship through pañcagavya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (abhiṣeka) of Śaṅkara with Kapilā pañcagavya, along with pradakṣiṇā as a meritorious act.