Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

प्रदक्षिणा कृता तेन सशैलवनकानना । कपिलापञ्चगव्येन यः स्नापयति शङ्करम्

Transliteration

pradakṣiṇā kṛtā tena saśailavanakānanā | kapilāpañcagavyena yaḥ snāpayati śaṅkaram

Translation

അവൻ ചെയ്ത പ്രദക്ഷിണയുടെ ഫലം പർവ്വതങ്ങളും വനങ്ങളും ഉപവനങ്ങളും ഉൾപ്പെട്ട സമസ്ത ഭൂമിയെ പരിക്രമിച്ച ഫലത്തോടു തുല്യം. കൂടാതെ കപിലാ ഗാവിന്റെ പഞ്ചഗവ്യത്തോടെ ശങ്കരനെ സ്നാപിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ…

Word by Word

• प्रदक्षिणा: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृता: done/performed
• कृता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘प्रदक्षिणा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• सशैलवनकानना: together with mountains, forests, and groves
• सशैलवनकानना: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्ययार्थ) + शैल (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स-’ उपपदपूर्वकः समासः—‘शैलवनकाननैः सह’ इत्यर्थः; ‘प्रदक्षिणा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कपिलापञ्चगव्येन: with the five products of a tawny cow
• कपिलापञ्चगव्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चगव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘कपिलायाः पञ्चगव्यं’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• स्नापयति: causes to bathe / bathes (someone)
• स्नापयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + णिच् (प्रयोजक)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• शङ्करम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (contextual narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā-associated Śaiva tīrtha; specific name not stated here)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa/narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee circumambulates a Śiva-liṅga shrine near the Revā’s banks; attendants prepare pañcagavya for abhiṣeka; the landscape suggests mountains, forests, and groves as a cosmic metaphor for the merit of pradakṣiṇā.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Kapilā
• Pañcagavya
• Pradakṣiṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple devotional acts—circumambulation and Śiva-abhiṣeka—are magnified as vast, world-encompassing merit when done with purity and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha teaching, while directly glorifying Śaṅkara worship through pañcagavya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (abhiṣeka) of Śaṅkara with Kapilā pañcagavya, along with pradakṣiṇā as a meritorious act.