Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तिलधेनुं च यो दद्यात्तस्मिंस्तीर्थे समाहितः । तिलसंख्यायुगान्येव स स्वर्गे वसति प्रिये

Transliteration

tiladhenuṃ ca yo dadyāttasmiṃstīrthe samāhitaḥ | tilasaṃkhyāyugānyeva sa svarge vasati priye

Translation

Und wer, in Sammlung des Geistes, an jenem Tīrtha eine „Tiladhenu“ (Sesam-Kuh) darbringt, o Geliebte, weilt im Himmel so viele Yugas, wie es Sesamkörner gibt.

Word by Word

• तिलधेनुम्: a sesame-cow (cow made/represented with sesame)
• तिलधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलधेनु (प्रातिपदिक: तिल + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

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

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

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

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun; Locative, Singular)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• समाहितः: collected, concentrated
• समाहितः: Karta-visheshana (Agent qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + धा (धातु)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कृदन्त (क्त/PPP) used adjectivally; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• तिलसंख्यायुगानि: yugas equal to the number of sesame (seeds)
• तिलसंख्यायुगानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलसंख्यायुग (प्रातिपदिक: तिल + संख्या + युग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Plural)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

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

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• वसति: dwells
• वसति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• प्रिये: O dear (one)
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa tīrtha (Kapileśvara-māhātmya setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Pārvatī (explicit ‘priye’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor at Prabhāsa offers a tiladhenu—sesame arranged in the form of a cow, adorned with cloth and flowers—to a priest, with ritual fire nearby and pilgrims watching; the promise of vast heavenly reward is implied through celestial motifs above.

Characters & Entities

• Kapileśvara Tīrtha
• Tiladhenu dāna
• Svarga
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed at a sanctified place with mental steadiness is magnified into vast, long-lasting merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapileśvara tīrtha within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tiladhenu-dāna (sesame-cow charity) at the tīrtha, done with samāhita (focused) mind.