Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 109

Devanagari script

लक्ष्मीश्च गोमये नित्यं पवित्रा सर्वमङ्गला । गोमयालेपनं तस्मात्कर्तव्यं पाण्डुनन्दन

Transliteration

lakṣmīśca gomaye nityaṃ pavitrā sarvamaṅgalā | gomayālepanaṃ tasmātkartavyaṃ pāṇḍunandana

Translation

Lakṣmī demeure sans cesse dans la bouse de vache, pure et source de toute auspiciosité. C’est pourquoi, ô fils de Pāṇḍu, il convient d’en enduire (en crépi) pour la purification.

Word by Word

• लक्ष्मीः: Lakṣmī (fortune)
• लक्ष्मीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• गोमये: in cow-dung
• गोमये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative/avyaya usage)

• पवित्रा: pure
• पवित्रा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वमङ्गला: all-auspicious
• सर्वमङ्गला: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (सर्वं मङ्गलं यस्याः/या)

• गोमयालेपनम्: smearing with cow-dung
• गोमयालेपनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमय (प्रातिपदिक) + लेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोमयस्य लेपनम्)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कर्तव्यम्: should be done
• कर्तव्यम्: Vidheyavācaka (Obligatory predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) → कर्तव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्—कर्तव्य ‘to be done’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• पाण्डुनन्दन: O son of Pāṇḍu
• पाण्डुनन्दन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु (प्रातिपदिक) + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पाण्डोः नन्दनः)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Go-padārtha (Gomaya) as pavitra-dravya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍunandana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clean courtyard being plastered with fresh gomaya; a subtle iconographic presence of Lakṣmī (lotus, golden aura) indicating her nitya-nivāsa; a sage instructs Yudhiṣṭhira.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmī
• Pāṇḍunandana (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspiciousness is cultivated through purity: honoring the cow’s sanctified substances is framed as a dharmic means to invite Lakṣmī and wellbeing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the teaching supports household and tīrtha-like purity practices within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s dharmic ethos.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gomayālepana—smearing/plastering with cow-dung as a purification and auspiciousness rite.