Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

जलधेनुं च यो दद्याद्धृषसंस्थे दिवाकरे । तिलधेनुं मृगस्थे च नरकं न स पश्यति

Transliteration

jaladhenuṃ ca yo dadyāddhṛṣasaṃsthe divākare | tiladhenuṃ mṛgasthe ca narakaṃ na sa paśyati

Translation

സൂര്യൻ ധൃഷ രാശിയിൽ നിൽക്കുമ്പോൾ ‘ജലധേനു’ ദാനം ചെയ്യുകയും, സൂര്യൻ മൃഗ രാശിയിൽ നിൽക്കുമ്പോൾ ‘തിലധേനു’ ദാനം ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ നരകം കാണുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• जलधेनुम्: a ‘water-cow’ (water donation in cow-form)
• जलधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल-धेनु (प्रातिपदिक; जल + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (जलस्य धेनुः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

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

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• हृषसंस्थे: when (the sun) is in Hṛṣa (zodiac sign)
• हृषसंस्थे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष-संस्थ (प्रातिपदिक; हृष + संस्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिवाकरे)

• दिवाकरे: when the sun (is...)
• दिवाकरे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तिलधेनुम्: a sesame-cow (sesame donation)
• तिलधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल-धेनु (प्रातिपदिक; तिल + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तिलस्य धेनुः)

• मृगस्थे: when (the sun) is in Mṛga (zodiac sign)
• मृगस्थे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृग-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; मृग + स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिवाकरे)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation to verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhīṣma (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual pavilion at a tīrtha: a donor offers a ‘jaladhenu’ (cow-form vessel/representation filled with water) and later a ‘tiladhenu’ (cow-form representation associated with sesame), with priests chanting and the Sun’s transit indicated in the sky-chart motif.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Divākara)
• Dāna (ritual charity)
• Jaladhenū
• Tiladhenū

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely, vowed charity (dāna) performed with ritual intent is praised as a powerful purifier that prevents a fall into hellish suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donating symbolic ‘cows’—a jaladhenū (water-related gift) and a tiladhenū (sesame-related gift)—at specified solar placements (Dhṛṣa and Mṛga).