Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

अष्टोत्तरशताभिश्च तिलाज्याहुतिभिः प्रगे । एकं गोमिथुनं दत्त्वा ब्राह्मणाय कुटुंबिने

Transliteration

aṣṭottaraśatābhiśca tilājyāhutibhiḥ prage | ekaṃ gomithunaṃ dattvā brāhmaṇāya kuṭuṃbine

Translation

Bei Tagesanbruch, mit 108 Opfergaben aus Sesam und Ghee, und indem man einem haushaltführenden Brāhmaṇa ein Kuhpaar schenkt, wird das Ritual vollkommen vollendet.

Word by Word

• aṣṭottaraśatābhiḥ: with one hundred and eight (items/acts)
• aṣṭottaraśatābhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa + uttara + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः—अष्टोत्तरशत (108) इति संख्यासमासः; Instrumental plural (by/with 108)

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

• tila-ājya-āhutibhiḥ: with oblations of sesame and ghee
• tila-ājya-āhutibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila + ājya + āhuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः—तिलाः च आज्यम् च आहुतयः (तिल-आज्य-आहुतयः) इति; Instrumental plural (with sesame-and-ghee oblations)

• prage: in the morning
• prage: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prage (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time); प्रगे = प्रातः/प्रभाते (in the morning)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; adjective qualifying gomithunam

• go-mithunam: a pair of cattle
• go-mithunam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + mithuna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः—गवां मिथुनम् (a pair of cows/bull-cow pair)

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having given’

• brāhmaṇāya: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; Dative singular (to a Brahmin)

• kuṭuṃbine: (who is) a householder
• kuṭuṃbine: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuṭuṃbin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; विशेषण—ब्राह्मणाय (householder/family man)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśīkṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on the ghāṭs of Kāśī, a votary performs a small homa with sesame and ghee, then ceremonially gifts a pair of cows to a household brāhmaṇa, with witnesses and offerings arranged on a clean platform.

Characters & Entities

• 108 āhutis
• tila (sesame)
• ājya (ghee)
• go-dāna
• brāhmaṇa (householder)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes that worship is completed by sacrificial offering and compassionate giving, especially go-dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is part of the Kāśī Khaṇḍa vrata-context, presenting Kāśī as a preeminent field for dāna and yajña.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

108 sesame-and-ghee oblations at dawn and gifting a cow-pair to a householder brāhmaṇa.