Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 209

Devanagari script

गोसहस्रं ददात्येकः कार्तिक्यां ज्येष्ठपुष्करे । षडक्षरं जपेन्मंत्रमन्यस्ताभ्यां समं फलम्

Transliteration

gosahasraṃ dadātyekaḥ kārtikyāṃ jyeṣṭhapuṣkare | ṣaḍakṣaraṃ japenmaṃtramanyastābhyāṃ samaṃ phalam

Translation

ഒരാൾ കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ ജ്യേഷ്ഠ-പുഷ്കരത്തിൽ ആയിരം പശുക്കൾ ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നു; മറ്റൊരാൾ ഷഡക്ഷരമന്ത്രം ജപിക്കുന്നു—ഫലം രണ്ടിനും സമം।

Word by Word

• गोसहस्रम्: a thousand cows
• गोसहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्रव्यवाचक

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकः: one (person)
• एकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कार्तिक्याम्: in (the month of) Kārtikī
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtikī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; मास/कालवाचक

• ज्येष्ठपुष्करे: at Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara
• ज्येष्ठपुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyeṣṭha + puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तीर्थ/स्थानवाचक

• षडक्षरम्: six-syllabled
• षडक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ताभ्याम्: with/by those two
• ताभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (फलम्)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand donation scene at Puṣkara: a line of cows being gifted near a sacred lake in Kārttika, while a humble devotee nearby repeats the ṣaḍakṣara mantra—both surrounded by the same luminous merit-cloud.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika
• Puṣkara (Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa elevates mantra-japa as a direct means to merit comparable to grand acts of charity at famous tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara (Puṣkara), a celebrated pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-sahasra dāna (donation of a thousand cows) at Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara in Kārttika is compared with ṣaḍakṣara-mantra japa.