Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

गवां गवाह्निकं नैव कथं मुक्तिर्भविष्यति । न याति विष्णुशरणं संप्राप्ते दक्षिणायने

Transliteration

gavāṃ gavāhnikaṃ naiva kathaṃ muktirbhaviṣyati | na yāti viṣṇuśaraṇaṃ saṃprāpte dakṣiṇāyane

Translation

S’il n’accomplit pas le devoir quotidien dû aux vaches, comment la délivrance pourrait-elle advenir ? Quand vient le dakṣiṇāyana, la course méridionale du Soleil, il ne prend pas refuge en Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• गवाह्निकम्: daily rite/service for cows
• गवाह्निकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + आह्निक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गवाम् आह्निकम्)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negative particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Question (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• मुक्तिः: liberation
• मुक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• भविष्यति: will be/occur
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negative particle)

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• विष्णुशरणम्: refuge of Viṣṇu
• विष्णुशरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + शरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विष्णोः शरणम्)

• संप्राप्ते: when (it is) arrived
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सम्भव; ‘(काले) संप्राप्ते’ = when (it) has arrived

• दक्षिणायने: in the southern solstice (dakṣiṇāyana)
• दक्षिणायने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः (दक्षिणम् अयनम्)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa neglects cows at dawn; cows stand unfed near a cowshed; in the sky the Sun begins its southern course; a Viṣṇu shrine appears in the distance, symbolizing refuge not taken; the narrator’s question ‘how will liberation be?’ hangs over the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Cows (Gauḥ)
• Dakṣiṇāyana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is linked to compassionate dharma—especially service to cows and sincere devotion (taking refuge) rather than negligence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is framed inside the Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya of the Prabhāsa sacred landscape, where dharma is emphasized as the true fruit of tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular performance of gava-āhnika (daily cow-related duty/service) and cultivating Viṣṇu-śaraṇa, with seasonal awareness (dakṣiṇāyana).