Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

गोशृंगोदकमादाय सद्यः पापात्प्रमुच्यते । जात्या भाद्रपदे पूजा क्षीरनैवेद्यमाददेत्

Transliteration

gośṛṃgodakamādāya sadyaḥ pāpātpramucyate | jātyā bhādrapade pūjā kṣīranaivedyamādadet

Translation

Wer Wasser nimmt, das durch das Horn der Kuh geheiligt wurde, wird sogleich von Sünde befreit. Im Monat Bhādrapada soll man mit Jasmin (jāti) verehren und Milch als Naivedya darbringen.

Word by Word

• go-śṛṅga-udakam: water from a cow’s horn
• go-śṛṅga-udakam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gośṛṅgasya udakam)

• ādāya: having taken
• ādāya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dā (दा, धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग); ādāya (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् कृदन्तः (ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्यय), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया ‘having taken’

• sadyaḥ: immediately
• sadyaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: immediately)

• pāpāt: from sin
• pāpāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (source/ablative)

• pramucyate: is freed
• pramucyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (मुच्, धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः ‘is released’

• jātyā: with jasmine (jāti)
• jātyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण/उपाय (instrumental: ‘with jasmine’)

• bhādrapade: in (the month of) Bhādrapada
• bhādrapade: Adhikarana (Time-locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhādrapada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; काल-अधिकरण

• pūjā: worship
• pūjā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kṣīra-naivedyam: milk-offering (naivedya of milk)
• kṣīra-naivedyam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (प्रातिपदिक) + naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (kṣīraṃ naivedyam) ‘milk-offering’

• ādadet: should offer
• ādadet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा, धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग); ādade (आददाति)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; ‘should offer/take up’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from didactic sequence)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest pours clear water through/into a cow’s horn; the devotee sips it; nearby, a Sūrya shrine receives jasmine garlands and a bowl of fresh milk as offering.

Characters & Entities

• Gośṛṅgodaka
• Bhādrapada
• Jāti (jasmine)
• Kṣīra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is portrayed as accessible through sanctified substances and timely worship, yielding swift moral-spiritual cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights a purificatory practice (gośṛṅgodaka) within a tīrtha-oriented chapter, without naming a specific location here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Take gośṛṅgodaka for immediate release from sin; in Bhādrapada, worship with jāti flowers and offer milk as naivedya.