Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 154

Devanagari script

कृतं नृपवरेणात्र कुर्वता पूर्वकं विधिम् । गोदानं च कृतं पश्चाद्विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा

Transliteration

kṛtaṃ nṛpavareṇātra kurvatā pūrvakaṃ vidhim | godānaṃ ca kṛtaṃ paścādvidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā

Translation

Hier vollzog der vortreffliche König den vorbereitenden Ritus nach der vorgeschriebenen Ordnung; danach führte er auch die Kuhspende (godāna) aus, gemäß der durch die Regel festgelegten Handlung.

Word by Word

• कृतम्: was done
• कृतम्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृत-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘done/was done’

• नृपवरेण: by the best king
• नृपवरेण: Kartṛ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषप्रयोगः ‘श्रेष्ठः नृपः’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• कुर्वता: while performing/doing
• कुर्वता: Kartṛ (Agent qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (नृपवरेण)

• पूर्वकम्: preceding/previous
• पूर्वकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (विधिम्)

• विधिम्: the prescribed rite/procedure
• विधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• गोदानम्: gift of a cow (cow-donation)
• गोदानम्: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गवां दानम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• कृतम्: was done
• कृतम्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृत-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (afterwards)

• विधिदृष्टेन: as prescribed by the rule
• विधिदृष्टेन: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + दृष्ट (कृदन्त; √दृश्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (विधिना दृष्टम् = prescribed by rule) विशेषणम् (कर्मणा)

• कर्मणा: by the act/rite
• कर्मणा: Karaṇa (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice, likely Sūta speaking in Āvantya Khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king, having completed the preliminary ritual sequence, ceremonially gifts a cow to a worthy brāhmaṇa near the sacred precinct, with witnesses and ritual vessels present.

Characters & Entities

• King (nṛpavara)
• Go-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma joins worship with charity—ritual devotion is completed by compassionate giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred milieu (Narmadā region), where prescribed rites yield special merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing the pūrva-vidhi (preliminary rite) and then completing go-dāna according to scriptural injunction.