Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

गोप्रदाता लभेत्स्वर्गं सत्यलोकं वरेश्वर । सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरीं शुभ्रां क्षीरिणीं तरुणीं शुभाम्

Transliteration

gopradātā labhetsvargaṃ satyalokaṃ vareśvara | sarvāṅgasundarīṃ śubhrāṃ kṣīriṇīṃ taruṇīṃ śubhām

Translation

O erhabener Herr, wer eine Kuh spendet, erlangt den Himmel — ja sogar Satyaloka — und wird belohnt mit einer strahlenden, glückverheißenden, milchreichen, jungen Kuh von makelloser Schönheit an allen Gliedern.

Word by Word

• गोप्रदाता: giver of a cow
• गोप्रदाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + pradātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (गवां प्रदाता/गोप्रदाता); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Optative, 3rd person singular, Ātmanepada)

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• सत्यलोकम्: Satyaloka
• सत्यलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (सत्यः लोकः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• वरेश्वर: O best lord
• वरेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (वरः ईश्वरः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरीम्: beautiful in all limbs
• सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + aṅga + sundarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषाम् अङ्गानाम् सुन्दरी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular); विशेषणम् (गाम्/धेनुम् implied)

• शुभ्राम्: white, pure
• शुभ्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular); विशेषणम्

• क्षीरिणीम्: milk-yielding
• क्षीरिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣīrinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular); विशेषणम्

• तरुणीम्: young
• तरुणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taruṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular); विशेषणम्

• शुभाम्: auspicious
• शुभाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular); विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘vareśvara’ (excellent lord) within the dialogue; overall audience includes the king from surrounding verses.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor offers a radiant white cow as gift; the narrative visualizes ascent to higher lokas, with Satyaloka imagery (Brahmā’s realm) hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Satyaloka
• Go-dāna (cow-gift)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Go-dāna is portrayed as a supreme charity that yields exalted heavenly results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Revā Khaṇḍa, implying the sanctity of Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas where such dāna is recommended.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The śloka highlights go-dāna (donation of a cow) and its promised fruit (svarga/Satyaloka).