Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कपिलाकोटिसहस्राणि कपिलाकोटिशतानि च । सूर्यपर्वणि यद्दत्त्वा तत्फलं कोटिशो भवेत्

Transliteration

kapilākoṭisahasrāṇi kapilākoṭiśatāni ca | sūryaparvaṇi yaddattvā tatphalaṃ koṭiśo bhavet

Translation

Wenn man am heiligen Festtag der Sonne (sūrya-parvan) die mit „Kapilā“ verbundene Gabe darbringt—zu Zehnmillionen und zu Hunderten von koṭi—dann vervielfacht sich das daraus entstehende Verdienst millionenfach.

Word by Word

• कपिला-कोटि-सहस्राणि: thousands of crores of kapilā (cows)
• कपिला-कोटि-सहस्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः (कपिलानां कोटयः, तासां सहस्राणि) ‘thousands of crores of Kapilā-cows’; here as object with implied दत्त्वा; Accusative plural understood

• कपिला-कोटि-शतानि: hundreds of crores of kapilā (cows)
• कपिला-कोटि-शतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘hundreds of crores of Kapilā-cows’; Accusative plural understood

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

• सूर्य-पर्वणि: on a solar festival day
• सूर्य-पर्वणि: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः ‘on the Sun-festival/solar occasion’; Locative singular

• यत्: which (that act)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; correlating with ‘तत्फलम्’; Accusative singular (object-clause marker)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having given’

• तत्-फलम्: that fruit/result
• तत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• कोटिशः: a crore-fold; in crores
• कोटिशः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: शस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; ‘in crores-fold’; adverb

• भवेत्: would be/become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Kapila (as cited within the narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Kapiladhārā–Kapileśvara context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied same interlocutor as surrounding verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At sunrise on a sūrya-parvan day, devotees offer arghya to Sūrya at the water’s edge, while a ceremonial kapilā-dāna is arranged: tawny cows adorned, priests chanting, donation ledgers and vessels present; the verse’s ‘koṭi’ imagery is suggested by repeating motifs (many cows, many lamps).

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā
• Sūrya (Sun deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna performed on an auspicious solar parvan becomes extraordinarily amplified in merit, especially when aligned with the Kapilā-rite.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Prabhāsa Kṣetra, particularly the Kapileśvara/Kapilā-related sacred observance described in Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Charitable gifting (dāna) on a Sūrya-parvan, connected with Kapilā (cow/rite), is prescribed as highly meritorious.