Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

गोप्रदानं प्रकर्तव्यं तस्माच्चैव विशेषतः । मृत्युकालेऽत्र संप्राप्ते य इच्छेद्गतिमात्मनः

Transliteration

gopradānaṃ prakartavyaṃ tasmāccaiva viśeṣataḥ | mṛtyukāle'tra saṃprāpte ya icchedgatimātmanaḥ

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ഗോദാനം നിർബന്ധമായി ചെയ്യേണ്ടതാണ്; പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് മരണകാലം വന്നപ്പോൾ ആത്മാവിന് ശുഭഗതി ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവൻ അതു വിശേഷമായി നിർവഹിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• गोप्रदानम्: gift of a cow
• गोप्रदानम्: कर्म/विषय (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गोः प्रदानम्)

• प्रकर्तव्यम्: must be done
• प्रकर्तव्यम्: विधेय (Predicate/Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; “should be done”

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: अपादान/हेतु (Ablative/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे — “therefore/from that”

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• मृत्युकाले: at death-time
• मृत्युकाले: अधिकरण (Adhikarana/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• संप्राप्ते: when it has arrived
• संप्राप्ते: विशेषण (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘मृत्युकाले’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् — “when (it is) arrived”

• यः: whoever
• यः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• इच्छेत्: would wish
• इच्छेत्: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; “should desire”

• गतिम्: passage/destination
• गतिम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; “of oneself”

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa tīrtha-māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaitaraṇī (as doctrinal reference)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-sage figure instructs householders: a cow adorned for donation stands beside a ritual fire; the scene hints at mortality with a setting sun or a faint silhouette of Yama’s realm in the distance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity—especially go-dāna—is praised as a powerful support for attaining a good course after death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya section; the snippet emphasizes dharmic acts connected to tīrtha-context rather than naming a single site in the verse itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-pradāna (cow donation) is prescribed as a special act for one seeking auspicious gati at death.