Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 184

Devanagari script

न बिभेति नरो यस्तु तस्याग्रे संभवाम्यहम् । हंतकारो गवां यस्तु नैवेद्यं मम वल्लभम्

Transliteration

na bibheti naro yastu tasyāgre saṃbhavāmyaham | haṃtakāro gavāṃ yastu naivedyaṃ mama vallabham

Translation

Devant l’homme qui ne craint pas, je me manifeste. Mais pour celui qui tue les vaches, le naivedya, l’offrande de nourriture, ne m’est point cher.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: N/A
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• bibheti: fears
• bibheti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhī (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person, Singular); परस्मैपद

• naraḥ: man; person
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: N/A
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• agre: in front; before
• agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• saṃbhavāmi: I appear; I arise
• saṃbhavāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (1st person, Singular); परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन (1st person pronoun, Nominative, Singular)

• haṃtakāraḥ: one who utters 'haṃta'; exclaimer
• haṃtakāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃta (अव्यय/निपात) + kāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (haṃta-śabda-kāraḥ)

• gavām: of cows
• gavām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Plural)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: N/A
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• naivedyam: food offering
• naivedyam: Karta (Subject/विधेय-वस्तु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• vallabham: beloved; pleasing
• vallabham: Visheshya-predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vallabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Nom./Acc., Singular); पाठे 'naivedyaṃ ... vallabham' इति नपुंसक-विशेषणवत्

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva’s epiphany before a fearless devotee: the devotee stands steady, eyes calm; behind him a protected cow and calf. In contrast, a shadowy figure representing go-hatyā is shown turned away from the altar, with naivedya left untouched.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devī
• Gauḥ (cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fearlessness rooted in dharma is honored, while violence such as cow-killing obstructs the fruit of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse is situated in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Naivedya is not spiritually pleasing when offered by one guilty of grave violence like killing cows.