Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

अष्टोत्तरशताभिश्च तिलाज्याहुतिभिः प्रगे । एकं गोमिथुनं दत्त्वा ब्राह्मणाय कुटुंबिने

Transliteration

aṣṭottaraśatābhiśca tilājyāhutibhiḥ prage | ekaṃ gomithunaṃ dattvā brāhmaṇāya kuṭuṃbine

Translation

പ്രഭാതത്തിൽ എള്ളും നെയ്യും ചേർത്ത് १०८ ആഹുതികൾ അർപ്പിച്ച്, കുടുംബസ്ഥനായ ബ്രാഹ്മണന് ഒരു ഗോമിഥുനം (പശുക്കളുടെ ജോടി) ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ ഈ കർമ്മം പൂർണ്ണമായി സിദ്ധിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• aṣṭottaraśatābhiḥ: with one hundred and eight (items/acts)
• aṣṭottaraśatābhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa + uttara + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः—अष्टोत्तरशत (108) इति संख्यासमासः; Instrumental plural (by/with 108)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tila-ājya-āhutibhiḥ: with oblations of sesame and ghee
• tila-ājya-āhutibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila + ājya + āhuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः—तिलाः च आज्यम् च आहुतयः (तिल-आज्य-आहुतयः) इति; Instrumental plural (with sesame-and-ghee oblations)

• prage: in the morning
• prage: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prage (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time); प्रगे = प्रातः/प्रभाते (in the morning)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; adjective qualifying gomithunam

• go-mithunam: a pair of cattle
• go-mithunam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + mithuna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः—गवां मिथुनम् (a pair of cows/bull-cow pair)

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having given’

• brāhmaṇāya: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇāya: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; Dative singular (to a Brahmin)

• kuṭuṃbine: (who is) a householder
• kuṭuṃbine: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuṭuṃbin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; विशेषण—ब्राह्मणाय (householder/family man)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśīkṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on the ghāṭs of Kāśī, a votary performs a small homa with sesame and ghee, then ceremonially gifts a pair of cows to a household brāhmaṇa, with witnesses and offerings arranged on a clean platform.

Characters & Entities

• 108 āhutis
• tila (sesame)
• ājya (ghee)
• go-dāna
• brāhmaṇa (householder)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes that worship is completed by sacrificial offering and compassionate giving, especially go-dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is part of the Kāśī Khaṇḍa vrata-context, presenting Kāśī as a preeminent field for dāna and yajña.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

108 sesame-and-ghee oblations at dawn and gifting a cow-pair to a householder brāhmaṇa.