Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

दिनेदिने फलं तस्य कापिलं गोसहस्रकम् । स्वर्गे मर्त्ये च पाताले तस्मादेतत्सुदुर्लभम्

Transliteration

dinedine phalaṃ tasya kāpilaṃ gosahasrakam | svarge martye ca pātāle tasmādetatsudurlabham

Translation

ദിവസംതോറും അതിന്റെ ഫലം ആയിരം കാപില ഗോകളെ ദാനം ചെയ്തതിനു തുല്യം. സ്വർഗ്ഗം, മർത്ത്യം, പാതാളം—മൂന്നു ലോകങ്ങളിലും അതിനാൽ ഇത് അത്യന്തം ദുർലഭം.

Word by Word

• dine: on a day
• dine: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• dine: day by day
• dine: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (dine dine = day by day)

• phalaṃ: fruit/result
• phalaṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विधेय

• tasya: of that (act/person)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• kāpilaṃ: tawny/brown (Kapila)
• kāpilaṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāpila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (gosahasrakam/phalaṃ)

• gosahasrakam: a thousand cows
• gosahasrakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (सहस्रं गावः = a thousand cows) + क-प्रत्यय; विधेय

• svarge: in heaven
• svarge: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• martye: in the mortal world
• martye: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• pātāle: in the netherworld
• pātāle: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• tasmāt: therefore; from that
• tasmāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-प्रभृति अव्ययीभाव/उपपद-निपातवत्; अपादानार्थ (ablative sense)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विधेय

• sudurlabham: very difficult to obtain
• sudurlabham: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपसर्ग) + durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (etat)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Koṭitīrtha

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: Koṭitīrtha radiating light; a line of tawny Kāpila cows with garlands appears as a merit-metaphor; above, the three worlds (svarga, martyā, pātāla) shown as layered realms receiving the tīrtha’s fame.

Characters & Entities

• Koṭitīrtha
• Kāpila cows (go-dāna motif)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained association with a tīrtha yields continuous merit, likened to repeated great gifts, and such access is portrayed as rare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Koṭitīrtha, whose ongoing benefits are compared to major acts of charity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit praise of daily tīrtha-sevā; the benchmark of merit is compared to go-dāna (gift of cows).