Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

हेमधेन्वायुतं तच्च ब्रह्मलोकफलप्रदम् । चतुर्लक्षमिदं प्रोक्तं व्यासेनाद्भुतकर्मणा

Transliteration

hemadhenvāyutaṃ tacca brahmalokaphalapradam | caturlakṣamidaṃ proktaṃ vyāsenādbhutakarmaṇā

Translation

Und jene Gabe, die zehntausend goldenen Kühen gleicht, verleiht die Frucht der Welt Brahmās (Brahmaloka). Diese Sammlung von vierhunderttausend (Versen) wurde von Vyāsa, dessen Taten wundersam sind, verkündet.

Word by Word

• हेम-धेनु-आयुतम्: a myriad (ten-thousand) of golden cows
• हेम-धेनु-आयुतम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक) + धेनु (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• ब्रह्मलोक-फल-प्रदम्: granting the fruit of Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोक-फल-प्रदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• चतुर्-लक्षम्: four lakhs (400,000)
• चतुर्-लक्षम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या) + लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदं (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रोक्तम्: was declared/said
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (passive sense)

• व्यासेन: by Vyāsa
• व्यासेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अद्भुत-कर्मणा: of wondrous deeds
• अद्भुत-कर्मणा: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective) व्यासस्य

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (twice-born sages/audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-assembly at Prabhāsa listens as the narrator extols a gift equal to ten thousand golden cows and praises Vyāsa’s wondrous authorship; in the background, a coastal shrine atmosphere evokes Somnātha/Prabhāsa sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Brahmaloka
• hema-dhenu (golden cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna is portrayed as a dharmic power that can elevate one to higher worlds, while Vyāsa’s compilation anchors the tradition’s authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The overarching glorification remains Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the verse itself emphasizes dāna-phala and textual authority.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A high-magnitude dāna metaphor: merit comparable to gifting ten thousand golden cows, yielding Brahmaloka reward.