Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

पूर्वं तत्रैव गत्वा च ततो रुद्रगयां व्रजेत् । गोदानं तत्र देयं तु सम्यग्यात्राफलेप्सुभिः

Transliteration

pūrvaṃ tatraiva gatvā ca tato rudragayāṃ vrajet | godānaṃ tatra deyaṃ tu samyagyātrāphalepsubhiḥ

Translation

Nachdem man zuerst dorthin gegangen ist, soll man dann nach Rudragayā weiterziehen. Wer die volle Frucht der Pilgerfahrt begehrt, soll dort gewiss die Gabe einer Kuh darbringen.

Word by Word

• पूर्वम्: first, beforehand
• पूर्वम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (first/before)

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

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphasis/only)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

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

• ततः: then, from there
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमवाचक (from there/then)

• रुद्रगयाम्: to Rudra-gayā (a sacred place)
• रुद्रगयाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र + गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (रुद्रस्य गया)

• व्रजेत्: should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• गोदानम्: gift of a cow
• गोदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गवां दानम्)

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

• देयम्: to be given
• देयम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेयार्थ (to be given)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• सम्यग्यात्राफलेप्सुभिः: by those desiring the proper fruit of pilgrimage
• सम्यग्यात्राफलेप्सुभिः: Kartr-sahakari (Agent-associated/कर्ता-सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्यक् + यात्रा + फल + इप्सु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः (यात्राफलम् इप्सवः = यात्राफलेप्सवः; तेषां सम्यक्-विशेषणेन)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudragayā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Contextual) Devī or sages, per surrounding Prabhāsa-māhātmya dialogue

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims, having completed a prior stop, walk in procession to Rudragayā; a donor offers a decorated cow to a brāhmaṇa near a sacred water-spot, with Śiva’s presence implied by liṅga/triśūla emblems.

Characters & Entities

• Rudragayā
• Śaṃkhāvartta/Śaṅkhodaka tīrtha
• Godāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by compassion and charity; dāna seals the merit generated by tīrtha-darśana and snāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rudragayā is recommended as the next sacred destination after visiting the earlier tīrtha (Śaṃkhāvartta/Śaṅkhodaka).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Godāna (donation of a cow) is prescribed for those seeking the full pilgrimage merit.