Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

यः शरद्विषुवे दद्याद्धेमवस्त्रसमन्वितम् । क्षौमावृतं युतं धेन्वा स पदं याति वैष्णवम्

Transliteration

yaḥ śaradviṣuve dadyāddhemavastrasamanvitam | kṣaumāvṛtaṃ yutaṃ dhenvā sa padaṃ yāti vaiṣṇavam

Translation

Wer zur Herbst-Tagundnachtgleiche eine Gabe darbringt, begleitet von goldenem Gewand, und dazu eine mit Leinen bedeckte Kuh schenkt, gelangt zur höchsten vaiṣṇavischen Wohnstatt.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• शरद्विषुवे: at the autumnal equinox
• शरद्विषुवे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरद् + विषुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शरदः विषुवम्) (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• दद्याद्: should give
• दद्याद्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• हेमवस्त्रसमन्वितम्: endowed with golden garments
• हेमवस्त्रसमन्वितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम + वस्त्र + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्+अन्वि (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (हेमवस्त्रैः समन्वितम्) (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• क्षौमावृतम्: covered with linen
• क्षौमावृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षौम + आवृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; आ+वृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (क्षौमेण आवृतम्) (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• युतम्: accompanied/combined (with)
• युतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; युज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• धेन्वा: with a cow
• धेन्वा: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• पदम्: state/abode
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• वैष्णवम्: Vaiṣṇava (of Viṣṇu)
• वैष्णवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On an equinox morning, a cow draped in pale linen is led to a temple courtyard; the donor offers golden cloth and performs saṅkalpa facing a Viṣṇu emblem (śaṅkha-cakra), with priests blessing the gift.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiṣṇava-pada
• Dhenū (cow)
• Śarad-viṣu (autumnal equinox)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time-sanctified generosity—especially go-dāna—links household virtue to divine attainment in the Vaiṣṇava path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the overarching sacred landscape in which these dāna-vidhis are praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate at the autumnal equinox: a gift with golden cloth and a cow covered with linen (kṣauma).