Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

गोप्रदानं प्रशंसंति तत्रान्नमुदकं तथा । सर्वपापविनाशाय प्रेत्यानंतसुखाय च

Transliteration

gopradānaṃ praśaṃsaṃti tatrānnamudakaṃ tathā | sarvapāpavināśāya pretyānaṃtasukhāya ca

Translation

Dort preist man die Gabe einer Kuh und ebenso die Spende von Speise und Wasser—zur Vernichtung aller Sünden und, nach dem Tod, zu unendlicher Glückseligkeit.

Word by Word

• गोप्रदानम्: gift of a cow
• गोप्रदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोः प्रदानम्)

• प्रशंसन्ति: they praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• उदकम्: water
• उदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• तथा: also; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/उपमानार्थ क्रियाविशेषण (also/likewise)

• सर्वपापविनाशाय: for the destruction of all sins
• सर्वपापविनाशाय: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां पापानां विनाशः) + तदर्थे चतुर्थी (purpose)

• प्रेत्य: after death; having departed
• प्रेत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) ‘प्रेत्य’ = प्र + इ + क्त्वा (irregular form), अर्थः ‘मरणानन्तरम्/परलोकं गत्वा’

• अनन्तसुखाय: for endless happiness
• अनन्तसुखाय: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अनन्तं सुखम्) + तदर्थे चतुर्थी

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

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from the instructional tone within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (dāna-mahātmyam)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A charitable scene at Prabhāsa: donors offer a cow to a worthy recipient, distribute food, and set up water pots for travelers; the temple and pilgrims form the backdrop, emphasizing compassion and dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• dāna (charity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna (charity) at a sacred place is upheld as a potent purifier and as a source of enduring well-being beyond this life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as the setting where these gifts are especially praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform go-pradāna (cow-gift) and also offer food and water (anna-dāna, udaka-dāna) at the tīrtha.