Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

व्यवस्थानं शरीरस्य गोप्रदानानुवर्णनम् । अशोकवनिकातीर्थं मतङ्गाश्रमवर्णनम्

Transliteration

vyavasthānaṃ śarīrasya gopradānānuvarṇanam | aśokavanikātīrthaṃ mataṅgāśramavarṇanam

Translation

ഇവിടെ ശരീരത്തിന്റെ യഥാവ്യവസ്ഥയും സദാചാരവിധാനവും, ഗോദാനത്തിന്റെ വിവരണവും; കൂടാതെ അശോകവനികാ തീർത്ഥവും മതംഗ ഋഷിയുടെ ആശ്രമവർണനയും പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• व्यवस्थानम्: arrangement/establishment
• व्यवस्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यवस्थान (प्रातिपदिक; √स्था (धातु) + वि-उपसर्ग, भाववाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; abstract noun (state/arrangement)

• शरीरस्य: of the body
• शरीरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive (of)

• गो-प्रदान-अनुवर्णनम्: description of cow-gifting
• गो-प्रदान-अनुवर्णनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु) + प्र-उपसर्ग, भाव) + अनुवर्णन (प्रातिपदिक; √वर्ण् (धातु) + अनु-उपसर्ग, भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोप्रदानस्य अनुवर्णनम्)

• अशोक-वनिका-तीर्थम्: the Ashoka-grove sacred ford
• अशोक-वनिका-तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशोक (प्रातिपदिक) + वनिका (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अशोकवनिकायाः तीर्थम्)

• मतङ्ग-आश्रम-वर्णनम्: description of Matanga’s hermitage
• मतङ्ग-आश्रम-वर्णनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मतङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णन (प्रातिपदिक; √वर्ण् (धातु), भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मतङ्गाश्रमस्य वर्णनम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Āvantya/Revā narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśokavanikā-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim group approaches a flowering aśoka-grove by the river; a ṛṣi-āśrama nearby with a hut, fire-altar, and deer; a cow-gift scene with a donor offering a decorated cow to a brāhmaṇa while reciting blessings.

Characters & Entities

• Go-pradāna (cow-gift)
• Aśoka-vanikā-tīrtha
• Mataṅga-āśrama
• Sage Mataṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-yātrā is paired with inner discipline and outward charity—purity of body/conduct and go-dāna are presented as supports to sacred travel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aśoka-vanikā-tīrtha and Mataṅga’s āśrama are named as revered places in the Revā Khaṇḍa landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-pradāna (gift of cows) is explicitly referenced as a praised dharmic act.