Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

गोदानं पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ त्रयोदश्यां प्रकारयेत् । चैत्रे मासि सिते पक्षे तत्र गत्वा जितेन्द्रियः

Transliteration

godānaṃ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha trayodaśyāṃ prakārayet | caitre māsi site pakṣe tatra gatvā jitendriyaḥ

Translation

ഹേ പാണ്ഡവശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! ത്രയോദശി ദിനത്തിൽ ഗോദാനം നടത്തണം. ചൈത്രമാസത്തിലെ ശുക്ലപക്ഷത്തിൽ അവിടെ ചെന്നു, ഇന്ദ്രിയസംയമത്തോടെ (അത് ചെയ്യണം).

Word by Word

• go-dānam: gift of a cow
• go-dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (goḥ dānam)

• pāṇḍava-śreṣṭha: O best of the Pāṇḍavas
• pāṇḍava-śreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍava (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (pāṇḍavānāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ)

• trayodaśyām: on the thirteenth (lunar day)
• trayodaśyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trayodaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• prakārayet: should cause to be done; should arrange
• prakārayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) with pra+ā+ causative stem prakāraya
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/optative sense), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• caitre: in (the month of) Caitra
• caitre: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (मास-नाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• māsi: in the month
• māsi: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• site: bright (fortnight)
• site: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (of pakṣe)

• pakṣe: in the fortnight
• pakṣe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• jita-indriyaḥ: one who has conquered the senses
• jita-indriyaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jita (कृदन्त; √ji ‘to conquer’) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘जितानि इन्द्रियाणि येन सः’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate continuation in Adhyāya 103)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Manmatheśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha / Bhārata (royal listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A controlled, vow-observing pilgrim leads a decorated cow to the temple precinct on Trayodaśī of Caitra śukla; priests prepare water, flowers, and mantras for the donation.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍava
• Caitra
• Trayodaśī
• Go-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma joins tīrtha-yātrā with self-restraint and prescribed charity to generate great merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The “there” refers to the Manmatheśvara/Ēraṇḍī tīrtha context in Adhyāya 102.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform go-dāna on Trayodaśī during Caitra śukla-pakṣa, approaching the site with controlled senses.