Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 111

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । सर्वदेवमयी धेनुर्गीर्वाणाद्यैरलंकृता । एतत्कथय मे तात कस्माद्गोषु समाश्रिताः

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | sarvadevamayī dhenurgīrvāṇādyairalaṃkṛtā | etatkathaya me tāta kasmādgoṣu samāśritāḥ

Translation

قال يودهيشتيرا: «إن البقرة جامعةٌ لكل الآلهة، ومزيّنةٌ بالسماويين وغيرهم. فأخبرني، أيها الشيخ الموقّر: لِمَ اتخذوا ملجأهم في الأبقار؟»

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सर्वदेवमयी: consisting of all gods
• सर्वदेवमयी: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वैः देवैः मयी/देवमयी)

• धेनुः: the cow
• धेनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गीर्वाणाद्यैः: by the gods and others
• गीर्वाणाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गीर्वाणाः आदयः येषां ते)

• अलंकृता: adorned
• अलंकृता: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलम् + √कृ (धातु) → अलंकृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कथय: tell
• कथय: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• मे: to me; for me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/Genitive or 4th/Dative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तात: O father/dear one
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• कस्मात्: from what cause? why?
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• गोṣu: in cows; among cows
• गोṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• समाश्रिताः: have taken refuge; are lodged
• समाश्रिताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + √श्रि (धातु) → समाश्रित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Go (as sarva-deva-mayī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira seated respectfully with folded hands, facing sage Mārkaṇḍeya; behind them a calm cow stands adorned, with faint celestial motifs indicating ‘sarva-deva-mayatā’.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Devas (Gīrvāṇas)
• Dhenū (Cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic learning begins with inquiry: the king seeks the reason behind the cow’s all-deity status rather than accepting it superficially.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site; it introduces the theological rationale behind Gau-māhātmya within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question that sets up the doctrinal explanation.