Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा तु कपिलातीर्थे कपिलां यः प्रयच्छति । श्रुत्वा चाख्यानकं दिव्यं ब्राह्मणाञ्छृणु यत्फलम्

Transliteration

snātvā tu kapilātīrthe kapilāṃ yaḥ prayacchati | śrutvā cākhyānakaṃ divyaṃ brāhmaṇāñchṛṇu yatphalam

Translation

Barang siapa mandi suci di Kapilātīrtha dan mempersembahkan sedekah seekor sapi kapilā (berwarna kuning kecokelatan), serta mendengarkan kisah suci yang ilahi ini—wahai para brāhmaṇa, dengarkanlah buah pahala yang timbul darinya.

Word by Word

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (स्ना धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययभाव कृदन्त (gerund/क्त्वा), ‘having bathed’

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• kapilā-tīrthe: at Kapilā-tīrtha
• kapilā-tīrthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapilā (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (kapilāyāḥ tīrtham); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• kapilām: a tawny cow (Kapilā)
• kapilām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• prayacchati: gives, bestows
• prayacchati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√yam (यम् धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययभाव कृदन्त (gerund/क्त्वा), ‘having heard’

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ākhyānakam: narrative, account
• ākhyānakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhyānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• divyam: divine
• divyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• śṛṇu: hear, listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (यत्-तत्)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing brāhmaṇas (explicit vocative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilātīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King; additionally addresses brāhmaṇas (‘brāhmaṇān…śṛṇu’) as the audience of the phala statement

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim completes a river bath at a ghāṭa, then ceremonially offers a tawny cow to a brāhmaṇa while a sacred storyteller recites the divine account to an attentive assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilātīrtha
• Brāhmaṇas
• Kapilā (cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit is amplified by combining tīrtha-snāna (pilgrimage bathing), dāna (charity), and śravaṇa (hearing sacred lore).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapilātīrtha, a revered bathing-place in the Revākhaṇḍa’s Narmadā sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at Kapilātīrtha and donate a kapilā (tawny cow), along with listening to the divine narrative.