Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

अथाश्वमेधात्संप्राप्यं गयाश्राद्धेन यत्फलम् । नीलसंज्ञगवोत्सर्गे तथात्रापि द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

athāśvamedhātsaṃprāpyaṃ gayāśrāddhena yatphalam | nīlasaṃjñagavotsarge tathātrāpi dvijottamāḥ

Translation

O Beste der Zweifachgeborenen: Das Verdienst, das man durch das Aśvamedha-Opfer und durch das Śrāddha in Gayā erlangt, wird ebenso auch hier erlangt durch die heilige Gabe—das Freilassen—einer Kuh namens „Nīlā“.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• अश्वमेधात्: from the Aśvamedha (sacrifice)
• अश्वमेधात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; अपादान (source)

• संप्राप्यम्: obtainable/to be attained
• संप्राप्यम्: —
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+प्राप् (धातु) → संप्राप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भावे, क्तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यत् फलम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (to be obtained)

• गयाश्राद्धेन: by the Gayā śrāddha
• गयाश्राद्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; करण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गयायां श्राद्धम्)

• यत्: which
• यत्: —
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम, ‘फलम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• नीलसंज्ञगवोत्सर्गे: in the cow-release (rite) called ‘Nīla’
• नीलसंज्ञगवोत्सर्गे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक) + गो (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; अधिकरण; समासः—(नील-संज्ञा) कर्मधारयः, ततः ‘(नीलसंज्ञ)-गव-उत्सर्ग’ इति षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (a cow-release named ‘Nīla’)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (in the same way)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• अपि: also
• अपि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (also/even)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (addressing); कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual, continuing narration to the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / dvijottamas addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a radiant white tīrtha, a brāhmaṇa devotee ceremonially releases or gifts a cow (Nīlā) with garlands; priests witness; in the background, symbolic icons of Aśvamedha and Gayā-śrāddha appear as faint vignettes to show equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• Gayā
• Śrāddha
• Nīlā (cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great tīrthas can bestow immense merit through accessible dharmic acts like go-dāna, equating them with major Vedic rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse continues the local tīrtha-mahātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa (Adhyāya 123), praising the place where Nīlā-named cow-gift yields supreme fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-utsarga/go-dāna—ritually gifting or releasing a cow named “Nīlā” as a meritorious act.