Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तिलधेनुं च यो दद्यात्तस्मिंस्तीर्थे समाहितः । तिलसंख्यायुगान्येव स स्वर्गे वसति प्रिये

Transliteration

tiladhenuṃ ca yo dadyāttasmiṃstīrthe samāhitaḥ | tilasaṃkhyāyugānyeva sa svarge vasati priye

Translation

ومن قدّم، وهو جامعُ القلب، في ذلك التيرثا «تِلَدهينو» (بقرةَ السِّمسم)، يا حبيبة، أقام في السماء عددَ يوجاتٍ بقدر ما في السِّمسم من حبّات.

Word by Word

• तिलधेनुम्: a sesame-cow (cow made/represented with sesame)
• तिलधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलधेनु (प्रातिपदिक: तिल + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun; Locative, Singular)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• समाहितः: collected, concentrated
• समाहितः: Karta-visheshana (Agent qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + धा (धातु)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कृदन्त (क्त/PPP) used adjectivally; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• तिलसंख्यायुगानि: yugas equal to the number of sesame (seeds)
• तिलसंख्यायुगानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलसंख्यायुग (प्रातिपदिक: तिल + संख्या + युग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Plural)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• वसति: dwells
• वसति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• प्रिये: O dear (one)
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa tīrtha (Kapileśvara-māhātmya setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Pārvatī (explicit ‘priye’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor at Prabhāsa offers a tiladhenu—sesame arranged in the form of a cow, adorned with cloth and flowers—to a priest, with ritual fire nearby and pilgrims watching; the promise of vast heavenly reward is implied through celestial motifs above.

Characters & Entities

• Kapileśvara Tīrtha
• Tiladhenu dāna
• Svarga
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed at a sanctified place with mental steadiness is magnified into vast, long-lasting merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapileśvara tīrtha within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tiladhenu-dāna (sesame-cow charity) at the tīrtha, done with samāhita (focused) mind.