Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 109

Devanagari script

लक्ष्मीश्च गोमये नित्यं पवित्रा सर्वमङ्गला । गोमयालेपनं तस्मात्कर्तव्यं पाण्डुनन्दन

Transliteration

lakṣmīśca gomaye nityaṃ pavitrā sarvamaṅgalā | gomayālepanaṃ tasmātkartavyaṃ pāṇḍunandana

Translation

Lakṣmī senantiasa bersemayam dalam kotoran sapi—suci dan pembawa segala keberuntungan. Karena itu, wahai putra Pāṇḍu, hendaknya dilakukan pelapisan (plester) dengan kotoran sapi demi penyucian.

Word by Word

• लक्ष्मीः: Lakṣmī (fortune)
• लक्ष्मीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• गोमये: in cow-dung
• गोमये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative/avyaya usage)

• पवित्रा: pure
• पवित्रा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्वमङ्गला: all-auspicious
• सर्वमङ्गला: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (सर्वं मङ्गलं यस्याः/या)

• गोमयालेपनम्: smearing with cow-dung
• गोमयालेपनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमय (प्रातिपदिक) + लेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोमयस्य लेपनम्)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कर्तव्यम्: should be done
• कर्तव्यम्: Vidheyavācaka (Obligatory predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) → कर्तव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्—कर्तव्य ‘to be done’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• पाण्डुनन्दन: O son of Pāṇḍu
• पाण्डुनन्दन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु (प्रातिपदिक) + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पाण्डोः नन्दनः)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Go-padārtha (Gomaya) as pavitra-dravya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍunandana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clean courtyard being plastered with fresh gomaya; a subtle iconographic presence of Lakṣmī (lotus, golden aura) indicating her nitya-nivāsa; a sage instructs Yudhiṣṭhira.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmī
• Pāṇḍunandana (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspiciousness is cultivated through purity: honoring the cow’s sanctified substances is framed as a dharmic means to invite Lakṣmī and wellbeing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the teaching supports household and tīrtha-like purity practices within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s dharmic ethos.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gomayālepana—smearing/plastering with cow-dung as a purification and auspiciousness rite.