Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

गवां शतसहस्रेण सवत्सेनापि यत्फलम् । तत्फलं प्राप्नुयान्मर्त्त्यः स्तोत्रैर्यस्तोषयेद्धरिम्

Transliteration

gavāṃ śatasahasreṇa savatsenāpi yatphalam | tatphalaṃ prāpnuyānmarttyaḥ stotrairyastoṣayeddharim

Translation

Welches Verdienst man auch erlangt, indem man hunderttausend Kühe, jede mit ihrem Kalb, verschenkt—dasselbe Verdienst erlangt der Sterbliche, der Hari durch Hymnen erfreut.

Word by Word

• gavām: of cows
• gavām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (गो प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• śatasahasreṇa: with a hundred-thousand (i.e., 100,000)
• śatasahasreṇa: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective)

• savatsena: together with calves
• savatsena: Karana (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + vatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (agreeing with implied ‘dāna’/‘go-samūha’), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘with calves’

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable) अवधान/समुच्चयार्थ (also/even)

• yat: whatever, which
• yat: Viśeṣya (Correlative base/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); ‘phalam’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• prāpnuyāt: should attain
• prāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• martyaḥ: a mortal
• martyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• stotraiḥ: with hymns
• stotraiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• toṣayet: should please
• toṣayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tuṣ (तुष् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative) भावः: ‘to please’

• harim: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• harim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from the contiguous discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Dvārakā stands before Hari’s image, hands folded, singing hymns; beside him are symbolic cows with calves representing the immense go-dāna merit now mirrored by stotra-bhakti.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional praise can rival even the greatest material charities when it truly delights Hari.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, as the broader setting for this teaching on worship and merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pleasing Hari through stotra-recitation; its fruit is compared to massive go-dāna.