Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

गावो मे पुरतः संतु गावो मे संतु पृष्ठतः । गावो मे हृदये संतु गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम्

Transliteration

gāvo me purataḥ saṃtu gāvo me saṃtu pṛṣṭhataḥ | gāvo me hṛdaye saṃtu gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham

Translation

願わくは牛たちが我が前にあり、願わくは牛たちが我が後ろにあれ。願わくは牛たちが我が心に住し、願わくは我が牛たちの中に住まわん。

Word by Word

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• मे: my/for me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (enclitic)

• पुरतः: in front
• पुरतः: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb: in front)

• सन्तु: let them be
• सन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मे: my/for me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• सन्तु: let them be
• सन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• पृष्ठतः: behind
• पृष्ठतः: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb: behind)

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मे: my/for me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• हृदये: in (my) heart
• हृदये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सन्तु: let them be
• सन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• मध्ये: in the midst
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् (in the midst)

• वसामि: I dwell
• वसामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; continuing prescribed prayer in context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim/ṛṣi audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands peacefully amid a small herd; cows in front and behind form a living protective circle; a luminous heart-center indicates inner remembrance of cows.

Characters & Entities

• Cows (Gāvaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeking the cow’s presence symbolizes seeking dharma, protection, and auspiciousness in all directions and within oneself.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The prayer appears in Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s teaching stream, aligning personal devotion with the merit-bearing culture of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional prārthanā invoking cows around and within the devotee—recitable as part of cow-honoring practice.