Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13
धेनवो यो न शक्तः स्यादेका देया प्रयत्नतः । सर्वेषामेव रुद्राणां भर्तृयज्ञवचो यथा
dhenavo yo na śaktaḥ syādekā deyā prayatnataḥ | sarveṣāmeva rudrāṇāṃ bhartṛyajñavaco yathā
Si l’on n’a pas la force d’offrir de nombreuses vaches, qu’on s’efforce d’en offrir une seule—car elle est reçue comme appartenant à tous les Rudra, selon la parole de Bhartṛyajña.
Sūta (deduced)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Ekādaśa-Rudra-sannidhi)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis/Brāhmaṇas (assembly)
Scene: A pilgrim of modest means offers a single cow with folded hands before a Rudra-sannidhi where multiple Rudra emblems are implied; priests recite mantras, and the cow is adorned with cloth and garlands.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma accommodates capacity: even a single sincere offering can carry comprehensive merit when done with devotion.
The teaching continues within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra’s Ekādaśa Rudra vicinity, emphasizing practical dāna there.
If multiple cows cannot be donated, donate at least one cow with earnest intent; it is deemed an offering to all Rudras.