Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा महादेवि कपिलाषष्ठ्यां विशेषतः । कपिलां दापयेत्तत्र गोकोटिफलभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

tatra snātvā mahādevi kapilāṣaṣṭhyāṃ viśeṣataḥ | kapilāṃ dāpayettatra gokoṭiphalabhāgbhavet

Translation

O Mahādevī, nachdem man dort gebadet hat, besonders am Tage Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī, soll man dort eine fahlbraune Kuh (kapilā) verschenken; so wird man Teilhaber eines Verdienstes, dessen Frucht dem Geschenk von zehn Millionen Kühen gleicht.

Word by Word

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (gerund)

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• कपिलाषष्ठ्याम्: on Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī (the sixth lunar day)
• कपिलाषष्ठ्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला + षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Locative singular; तिथिवाचक-समासः (on the sixth day associated with Kapilā)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: especially)

• कपिलाम्: a tawny cow (kapilā)
• कपिलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• दापयेत्: should donate / should cause (it) to be given
• दापयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु) [दाने] + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative) — ‘should cause to be given’

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

• गोकोटिफलभाग्: a recipient of the merit equal to a crore of cows
• गोकोटिफलभाग्: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + कोटि + फल + भाग् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘गोकोटिफलस्य भागी’ (one who partakes of the fruit equal to a crore of cows)

• भवेत्: would become / would obtain
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapileśvara-tīrtha (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Mahādevī) and the assembled audience in the frame narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a coastal/riverine tīrtha in Prabhāsa perform dawn snāna; a tawny cow adorned with garlands is respectfully gifted to a brāhmaṇa near a small Śiva shrine, with conch and lamp rituals in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī
• Kapilā (tawny cow)
• Kāpila-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (tithi) and place (kṣetra) amplify dharma; charity joined with tīrtha-snāna yields extraordinary puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāpila-kṣetra/Kapileśvara area in Prabhāsa, as the place where snāna and go-dāna are especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the site, particularly on Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī, and gifting a kapilā (tawny) cow as dāna.