Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

वृषो धर्म हति प्रोक्तो येन मुक्तः स मुच्यते । गोषु मध्ये पितॄन्सर्वान्हरमुद्दिश्य वा हरिम्

Transliteration

vṛṣo dharma hati prokto yena muktaḥ sa mucyate | goṣu madhye pitṝnsarvānharamuddiśya vā harim

Translation

Lembu jantan dinyatakan sebagai ‘pembinasa adharma’; oleh siapa pun seseorang dilepaskan, sungguh ia menjadi bebas. Di tengah kawanan sapi, hendaknya menghormati semua leluhur, mempersembahkan perbuatan itu kepada Hara, atau kepada Hari.

Word by Word

• vṛṣaḥ: bull
• vṛṣaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• dharmaḥ: Dharma/righteousness
• dharmaḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समानााधिकरणम् (apposition)

• hatiḥ: (is) called/said (as)
• hatiḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘proktaḥ’ इत्यस्य कर्तृपद-सम्बन्धः (as a statement: ‘is said’)

• proktaḥ: is declared
• proktaḥ: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि ‘said/declared’

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• muktaḥ: freed
• muktaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘saḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mucyate: is released
• mucyate: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः

• goṣu: among cows
• goṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (गो), सप्तमी (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• madhye: in the middle
• madhye: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial locative) ‘मध्ये’ = in the midst

• pitṝn: the ancestors (Fathers)
• pitṝn: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘pitṝn’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• haram: Hara (Śiva)
• haram: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘uddiśya’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• uddiśya: having intended/addressed
• uddiśya: Kriya (Purpose/preceding act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; अर्थः ‘उद्दिश्य/लक्ष्यीकृत्य’

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• harim: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• harim: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘uddiśya’ इत्यस्य अनुवृत्त-कर्म (understood)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene ritual scene: a strong bull emblematic of dharma stands near a herd; the performer honors ancestors amid cows, offering water/oblations with a dedication either to Hara or to Hari, suggesting unity of divine refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣa (bull)
• Pitṛs
• Hara (Śiva)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Go (cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service and gifting connected with cattle is framed as dharma that removes adharma and supports liberation and ancestor welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya section of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform acts among cows with remembrance of the Pitṛs, dedicating the merit to Śiva (Hara) or Viṣṇu (Hari).