Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

यत्र गौर्दृश्यते राजन् सर्वतीर्थानि तत्र हि । तत्र पर्व विजानीयान्नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

yatra gaurdṛśyate rājan sarvatīrthāni tatra hi | tatra parva vijānīyānnātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

ഹേ രാജാവേ, എവിടെ ഗാവ് ദൃശ്യമാകുന്നുവോ അവിടെയേ നിശ്ചയമായി സർവ്വ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളുടെയും സന്നിധി ഉണ്ടാകുന്നു. ആ സ്ഥലത്തെ പർവ്വമായി അറിയുക; ഇവിടെ കൂടുതൽ വിചാരം വേണ്ട॥

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• गौः: cow
• गौः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• सर्वतीर्थानि: all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (all + sacred-fords)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle of emphasis/indeed)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• पर्व: a sacred occasion/festival day
• पर्व: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• विजानीयात्: one should know/recognize
• विजानीयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha/Avyaya (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• कार्या: to be done/necessary
• कार्या: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative adjective)

• विचारणा: deliberation/inquiry
• विचारणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator addressing the King (explicit: rājan)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (contextually Uttānapāda in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king is instructed by Īśvara/Śiva: wherever a cow is seen, that spot shines as a confluence of all sacred fords; the landscape suggests a riverbank hermitage with grazing cows and pilgrims pausing in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• gauḥ (cow)
• tīrtha
• parva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The cow is a mobile embodiment of sacredness; reverence to her is treated as contact with all tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a single named site; the verse universalizes tīrtha-presence wherever the cow is honored.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Treat the place of encountering a cow as a parva-worthy sacred moment, implying reverence and auspicious conduct.