Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 188

Devanagari script

प्रीयतां मे जगन्नाथा हरकृष्णपितामहाः । संसाररक्षणी देवी सुरभी मां समुद्धरेत्

Transliteration

prīyatāṃ me jagannāthā harakṛṣṇapitāmahāḥ | saṃsārarakṣaṇī devī surabhī māṃ samuddharet

Translation

Mögen die Herren der Welten—Hara, Kṛṣṇa und der Pitāmaha—an mir Wohlgefallen finden; und möge die Göttin Surabhī, Beschützerin inmitten des Saṃsāra, mich emporheben und erlösen.

Word by Word

• प्रीयताम्: may (he) be pleased
• प्रीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्री (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/आशीर्लिङ्गार्थे ‘let (him) be pleased’

• मे: of me / my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जगन्नाथाः: lords of the world
• जगन्नाथाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः नाथाः)

• हरकृष्णपितामहाः: Hara, Kṛṣṇa, and Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• हरकृष्णपितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर + कृष्ण + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (हरः, कृष्णः, पितामहः)

• संसाररक्षणी: protector of worldly existence
• संसाररक्षणी: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार + रक्षणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संसारस्य रक्षणी); विशेषणम् (देवी इति)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सुरभी: Surabhī (the divine cow)
• सुरभी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरभी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष-नाम

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• समुद्धरेत्: should lift up/deliver
• समुद्धरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-√हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Ritual formula/prayer recited by the donor (within Revākhaṇḍa go-dāna prayoga)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional tableau: the donor with folded hands before a sacred cow (Surabhī archetype) while above appear Hara, Kṛṣṇa, and Brahmā in a triadic vision; the river glows behind, suggesting liberation from saṃsāra.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Kṛṣṇa
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Surabhī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity is framed as devotion: the act is sealed by prayer seeking divine pleasure and uplift from saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The mantra appears within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Eraṇḍī-saṅgama rite-setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A recitation/invocation to be spoken in connection with go-dāna, invoking Surabhī and major deities.