Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

नालंकृता सवत्सा गौः पात्राय प्रतिपादिता । इह पापापहंत्र्याशु सप्तजन्मसुखावहा

Transliteration

nālaṃkṛtā savatsā gauḥ pātrāya pratipāditā | iha pāpāpahaṃtryāśu saptajanmasukhāvahā

Translation

ഞാൻ അലങ്കരിച്ച, കിടാവോടുകൂടിയ പശുവിനെ യോഗ്യപാത്രനു സമർപ്പിച്ചിട്ടില്ല—ആ ദാനം ഇഹലോകത്തിൽ വേഗം പാപം അകറ്റി ഏഴ് ജന്മങ്ങളുടെ സുഖം നൽകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• अलंकृता: adorned
• अलंकृता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलंकृत (कृदन्त; अलं√कृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• सवत्सा: with a calf
• सवत्सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-वत्स (प्रातिपदिक; स + वत्स)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying गौः)

• गौः: a cow
• गौः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• पात्राय: to a worthy recipient
• पात्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Dative singular)

• प्रतिपादिता: presented (as a gift)
• प्रतिपादिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतिपादित (कृदन्त; प्रति√पद्/√पाद् (धातु) + णिच् + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: ‘presented/given’)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

• पापापहन्त्री: remover of sins
• पापापहन्त्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-अपहन्त्री (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + अपहन्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying गौः/दानम् implied)

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक/रीतिवाचक अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• सप्तजन्मसुखावहा: bringing happiness for seven births
• सप्तजन्मसुखावहा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त-जन्म-सुख-आवहा (प्रातिपदिक; सप्त + जन्म + सुख + आवहा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying गौः/दानम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa default dialogue frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An adorned cow with a calf—garlanded, horn-caps, cloth on back—stands beside a brāhmaṇa recipient; the donor, regretful, is shown empty-handed, with Kāśī ghāṭs behind and a soft aura around the cow symbolizing purity.

Characters & Entities

• Gauḥ (cow)
• Vatsa (calf)
• Pātra (worthy recipient)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Go-dāna to a qualified recipient is elevated as a high-merit charity with swift purificatory power and long-term karmic benefit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, while the verse emphasizes dāna’s merit rather than a specific tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-dāna—presenting an adorned cow together with her calf to a pātra (worthy recipient).