Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

यः स्वर्णधेनुं मधुनीरधेनुं कृष्णाजिनं रौप्यसुवर्णमेरु । ब्रह्मांडदानं प्रददाति याति स वै फलं जागरणेन विष्णोः

Transliteration

yaḥ svarṇadhenuṃ madhunīradhenuṃ kṛṣṇājinaṃ raupyasuvarṇameru | brahmāṃḍadānaṃ pradadāti yāti sa vai phalaṃ jāgaraṇena viṣṇoḥ

Translation

Barang siapa bersedekah seekor sapi emas, sapi berupa madu dan susu, kulit kijang hitam (kṛṣṇājina), Gunung Meru dari perak dan emas, bahkan brahmāṇḍa-dāna (derma semesta)—ia meraih pahala yang sama hanya dengan berjaga semalam suci (jāgaraṇa) bagi Bhagavān Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचक सर्वनाम

• स्वर्णधेनुम्: a golden cow
• स्वर्णधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्णधेनु (प्रातिपदिक; स्वर्ण + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘स्वर्णस्य धेनुः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• मधुनीरधेनुम्: a cow of honey and water (a ritual gift)
• मधुनीरधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुनीरधेनु (प्रातिपदिक; मधु + नीर + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘मधु-नीर-रूपा धेनुः’ (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्रायः)

• कृष्णाजिनम्: a black deerskin
• कृष्णाजिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाजिन (प्रातिपदिक; कृष्ण + अजिन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘कृष्णम् अजिनम्’ कर्मधारय

• रौप्यसुवर्णमेरुम्: a Meru (mountain model) of silver and gold
• रौप्यसुवर्णमेरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौप्यसुवर्णमेरु (प्रातिपदिक; रौप्य + सुवर्ण + मेरु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘रौप्य-सुवर्ण-निर्मितः मेरुः’ बहुपद-कर्मधारय

• ब्रह्माण्डदानम्: the gift called ‘brahmāṇḍa-dāna’
• ब्रह्माण्डदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्डदान (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्माण्ड + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘ब्रह्माण्डस्य दानम्’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• प्रददाति: gives
• प्रददाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात, अव्यय

• फलम्: the fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘फलम्’ (याति इत्यस्य कर्म)

• जागरणेन: by vigil
• जागरणेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• विष्णोः: of Vishnu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa Māhātmya-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā Viṣṇu-jāgaraṇa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: on one side, grand gifts—golden cow, honey-milk cow, black antelope skin, silver-gold Meru, and a cosmic-egg motif; on the other, a simple devotee keeping vigil before Viṣṇu—both balanced to show equal merit.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Meru
• Brahmāṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional vigilance (jāgaraṇa) for Lord Viṣṇu can grant merit equal to even the greatest, symbolically vast acts of charity—showing bhakti as a supreme purifier and merit-giver.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is implied by the Dvārakā Māhātmya context within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, praising worshipful observances performed there for Viṣṇu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jāgaraṇa—keeping awake in worship as a sacred vigil for Viṣṇu—is explicitly praised; the verse also references major dānas (golden cow, symbolic gifts, Meru-dāna, brahmāṇḍa-dāna) as a benchmark for comparing merit.