Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

स्वेच्छया मे वसेल्लोके काञ्चने भवने हि सः । तिलधेनुं च यो दद्यात्सवत्सां वस्त्रसंप्लुताम्

Transliteration

svecchayā me vaselloke kāñcane bhavane hi saḥ | tiladhenuṃ ca yo dadyātsavatsāṃ vastrasaṃplutām

Translation

Il demeure vraiment dans mon monde selon son gré, dans une demeure d’or : celui qui offre une « vache de sésame » (tila-dhenu) avec son veau, richement parée et couverte d’étoffes.

Word by Word

• स्वेच्छया: by his own will; at will
• स्वेच्छया: Hetu/Upaya (हेतु/means; adverbial instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय-सदृश: 'own will'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• मे: of me; my
• मे: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वसेत्: should dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• काञ्चने: golden
• काञ्चने: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काञ्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विशेषण

• भवने: in a mansion/house
• भवने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तिल-धेनुम्: a sesame-cow (ritual gift)
• तिल-धेनुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: 'of sesame' → 'sesame-cow' i.e., cow made/filled with sesame as gift), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• स-वत्साम्: together with a calf
• स-वत्साम्: Karma-visheshana (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/सह) + वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सह-अर्थ: 'with a calf'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; धेनुं विशेषयति

• वस्त्र-संप्लुताम्: covered with cloth
• वस्त्र-संप्लुताम्: Karma-visheshana (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + संप्लुत (कृदन्त; √प्लु/प्लव् with सम्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (तृतीया-सम्बन्ध: 'covered/overlaid with cloth'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संप्लुत = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

Speaker

Śiva (Deveśa) speaking to King Uttānapāda (deduced from immediate context of Adhyāya 50)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A richly adorned ‘tila-dhenu’ with calf—crafted from sesame or represented as a cow-form gift—draped in cloth and garlands, offered to a brāhmaṇa; in a visionary scene, the donor resides in a golden mansion in the deity’s world.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied by 'my world')

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual charity performed with devotion can grant proximity to the deity’s realm, not merely worldly merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa context evokes Narmadā’s sacred landscape; this verse highlights śaiva attainment through dāna rather than a named shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tila-dhenu dāna—donating a ‘sesame-cow’ (often a ritual representation) with a calf, properly clothed/adorned.