Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

गावः प्रदक्षिणीकार्याः पूजनीयाश्च नित्यशः । मंगलायतनं देव्यः सृष्टा ह्येताः स्वयंभुवा

Transliteration

gāvaḥ pradakṣiṇīkāryāḥ pūjanīyāśca nityaśaḥ | maṃgalāyatanaṃ devyaḥ sṛṣṭā hyetāḥ svayaṃbhuvā

Translation

Il faut faire la pradakṣiṇā autour des vaches et les vénérer chaque jour. Ces êtres divins sont des demeures d’auspice, créées en vérité par le Né-de-Lui-même (Brahmā).

Word by Word

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• pradakṣiṇī-kāryāḥ: to be circumambulated
• pradakṣiṇī-kāryāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (pradakṣiṇā kāryā = ‘to be circumambulated’)

• pūjanīyāḥ: worthy of worship
• pūjanīyāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūj (धातु) + anīya (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: अनिय-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: ‘worthy to be worshipped’), स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थकः

• nityaśaḥ: always
• nityaśaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: ‘always/regularly’)

• maṃgala-āyatanam: abode of auspiciousness
• maṃgala-āyatanam: Pratijna/Predicate (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃgala (प्रातिपदिक) + āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (maṃgalasya āyatanam)

• devyaḥ: divine (fem.) beings
• devyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; गवां विशेषणरूपेण (appositional: ‘divine ones’)

• sṛṣṭāḥ: created
• sṛṣṭāḥ: Pratijna/Predicate (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sṛj (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः, स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; कर्मणि-भावः (created)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Upapada (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (emphasis/causal)

• etāḥ: these (fem.)
• etāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• svayaṃbhuvā: by the Self-born (Brahmā)
• svayaṃbhuvā: Karana/Karta (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayaṃbhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचनम्; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देशे (by the Self-born Brahmā)

Speaker

Āpastamba (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees circumambulate a calm cow adorned with garlands and tilaka; offerings of grass and water; a sage explains their divine origin from Brahmā.

Characters & Entities

• Āpastamba
• Gāvaḥ (cows)
• Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspiciousness is cultivated through reverent daily practices; honoring cows is presented as honoring a sacred source of welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, the instruction links local sanctity to universal dharma of worship and purity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) and nitya-pūjā (daily worship) of cows.