Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

जलाभावे तथा सा च समस्तैर्बालकैः सह । वैवस्वतगृहं प्राप्ता गोभक्तिधृतमानसा

Transliteration

jalābhāve tathā sā ca samastairbālakaiḥ saha | vaivasvatagṛhaṃ prāptā gobhaktidhṛtamānasā

Translation

Quand il n’y eut plus d’eau, elle—avec tous ses enfants—parvint au séjour de Vaivasvata (Yama), l’esprit soutenu par la dévotion envers la vache.

Word by Word

• जलाभावे: in the absence of water
• जलाभावे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल-अभाव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; जलस्य अभावः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; Locative absolute sense: "in the absence of water"

• तथा: thus/then
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connective/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• समस्तैः: with all (the)
• समस्तैः: Sahakaraka (Instrumental of association/सहकारक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• बालकैः: boys/children
• बालकैः: Sahakaraka (Instrumental of association/सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sambandha (Association marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (postposition-like indeclinable meaning "with")

• वैवस्वतगृहं: the house of Vaivasvata (Yama)
• वैवस्वतगृहं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैवस्वत-गृह (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; वैवस्वतस्य गृहं इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• प्राप्ता: reached/arrived
• प्राप्ता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे "having reached"

• गोभक्तिधृतमानसा: whose mind was sustained by devotion to cows
• गोभक्तिधृतमानसा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गो-भक्ति-धृत-मानस (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—"यस्या मानसं गोभक्त्या धृतम्"; qualifies सा

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta, by continuity)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A parched landscape with a mother and several children, exhausted from thirst, approaching the dark-gated abode of Yama; despite fear, her face shows calm devotion, with a symbolic cow (or cow’s halo) indicating go-bhakti sustaining her mind.

Characters & Entities

• Vaivasvata (Yama)
• Gau (cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even at death, the inner state shaped by dharma—here, go-bhakti and compassion—becomes the spiritual capital that follows the soul.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Adhyāya 62’s tīrtha context (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra), demonstrating how actions performed in/around a kṣetra bear profound fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on ethical dharma (compassion/service) rather than a formal rite.