Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

कामधेनुरियं ब्रह्मन्नार्हारण्यनिवासिनाम् । मुनीनां शान्तचित्तानां तस्माद्यच्छ मम स्वयम्

Transliteration

kāmadhenuriyaṃ brahmannārhāraṇyanivāsinām | munīnāṃ śāntacittānāṃ tasmādyaccha mama svayam

Translation

Ia berkata, “Wahai Brāhmaṇa, inilah Kāmadhenu, yang sungguh layak bagi para muni berhati damai yang berdiam di rimba. Maka berikanlah ia kepadaku dengan tanganmu sendiri.”

Word by Word

• कामधेनुः: Kāmadhenū (wish-cow)
• कामधेनुः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम + धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कामानां धेनुः = wish-fulfilling cow)

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति; एकवचन (vocative)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अर्हा: fit, proper
• अर्हा: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्ह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with कामधेनुः/इयम्)

• अरण्यनिवासिनाम्: of the forest-dwellers
• अरण्यनिवासिनाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation: “of”)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (अरण्ये निवासिनः = forest-dwellers)

• मुनीनाम्: of sages
• मुनीनाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• शान्तचित्तानाम्: of calm-minded (sages)
• शान्तचित्तानाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of मुनीनाम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शान्त + चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (शान्तं चित्तं येषाम्—बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः; here as adjective “calm-minded”)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (अव्यय/तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (indeclinable: “therefore/for that reason”)

• यच्छ: give
• यच्छ: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (imperative: “give”)

• मम: to me
• मम: Sampradāna (Recipient; genitive used for dative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (genitive: “to me/of me”)

• स्वयम्: yourself
• स्वयम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Emphatic modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मनः/स्वकृत्यवाचक (indeclinable: “yourself, personally”)

Speaker

Bhūpati (the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king points toward the divine cow, calling her Kāmadhenu, acknowledging her suitability for sages—yet demands she be handed over; Jamadagni remains composed, the cow calm but radiant.

Characters & Entities

• Kāmadhenu
• muni (sages)
• brāhmaṇa (addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred resources meant for ascetics should not be seized for worldly power; entitlement distorts dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a tīrtha-glorification chapter, but this line focuses on the ethical request rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a demand/request that frames a dharmic boundary.