Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

गवामंगेषु तिष्ठंति भुवनानि चतुर्दश । यस्मात्तस्माच्छिवं मे स्यादिहलोके परत्र च

Transliteration

gavāmaṃgeṣu tiṣṭhaṃti bhuvanāni caturdaśa | yasmāttasmācchivaṃ me syādihaloke paratra ca

Translation

In den Gliedern der Kühe wohnen die vierzehn Welten. Darum, kraft dieser Wahrheit, möge mir Śiva—das Heilvolle—zuteilwerden, hier in dieser Welt und auch im Jenseits.

Word by Word

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अङ्गेषु: in the limbs
• अङ्गेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand/abide
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• भुवनानि: worlds
• भुवनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• चतुर्दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (भुवनानि इति विशेष्येण सह)

• यस्मात्: because of which/from which
• यस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (यतः)

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तस्मात् (therefore)

• शिवम्: auspiciousness/welfare
• शिवम्: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (स्यात् इति सह)

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

• स्यात्: may be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• परत्र: hereafter/in the next world
• परत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देश/कालवाचक (adverb: in the other world/afterwards)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / pilgrims seeking Kāśī-māhātmya (contextual audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī recites a maṅgala-prayer, envisioning the fourteen worlds residing within the limbs of a serene cow; the word 'Śiva' shines as auspiciousness over both earthly and heavenly realms.

Characters & Entities

• Cows (Gāvaḥ)
• Fourteen worlds (Caturdaśa-bhuvana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for the cow is presented as reverence for the whole cosmos, yielding auspiciousness in both this life and the next.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, linking cow-veneration to the sacred dharma of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional affirmation (prayerful statement) seeking śiva (auspicious welfare) based on the cosmic sanctity of cows.