Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

गां गृह्य स्वगृहं प्राप्तो दाम्ना बद्धां सवत्सकाम् । स तस्यै यवसं चार्द्रं ददौ ब्राह्मणसत्तमः

Transliteration

gāṃ gṛhya svagṛhaṃ prāpto dāmnā baddhāṃ savatsakām | sa tasyai yavasaṃ cārdraṃ dadau brāhmaṇasattamaḥ

Translation

ആ പശുവിനെ എടുത്തുകൊണ്ട് ബ്രാഹ്മണശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ തന്റെ വീട്ടിലെത്തി; കയറാൽ കെട്ടപ്പെട്ടതും കിടാവോടുകൂടിയതുമായ അവൾക്ക് അദ്ദേഹം പുതുതും ഈർപ്പമുള്ള യവസ്സ് (മേവുപുല്ല്) നൽകി.

Word by Word

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गृह्य: having taken
• गृह्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund); ‘having taken’

• स्वगृहम्: his own house
• स्वगृहम्: Karma (Goal/गन्तव्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (स्वं गृहं)

• प्राप्तः: having arrived
• प्राप्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) + त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle used predicatively); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दाम्ना: with a rope
• दाम्ना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बद्धाम्: bound
• बद्धाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बन्ध् (धातु) + त (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (bound)

• सवत्सकाम्: together with her calf
• सवत्सकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + वत्सक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (वत्सकेन सह)

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

• तस्यै: to her
• तस्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यवसम्: fodder/grass
• यवसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• आर्द्रम्: moist/wet
• आर्द्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (यवसम्)

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणसत्तमः: the best of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणसत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (ब्राह्मणेषु सत्तमः)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual attribution within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene courtyard scene: a brāhmaṇa leads a cow with her calf, tethered by a rope, into his home and offers fresh moist grass; domestic calm with sacred undertone.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇa
• dhenu (cow)
• vatsa (calf)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Receiving a sacred gift brings responsibility—care (go-sevā) is itself a form of dharma and gratitude.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dvārakā Māhātmya context continues; the focus is on dharma practiced by its characters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied go-sevā: feeding and properly keeping the cow (tethering, tending), reinforcing that dāna includes ongoing care.