Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सुतृप्ता यवसेनैव मध्याह्ने तृषितां तदा । गृहीत्वा निर्ययौ विप्रो दामबद्धां जलाशयम्

Transliteration

sutṛptā yavasenaiva madhyāhne tṛṣitāṃ tadā | gṛhītvā niryayau vipro dāmabaddhāṃ jalāśayam

Translation

യവസ്സ് മാത്രം കഴിച്ച് തൃപ്തയായിരുന്ന ആ പശു മധ്യാഹ്നത്തിൽ ദാഹിച്ചു. അപ്പോൾ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ കയറാൽ കെട്ടിയ അവളെയെടുത്ത് ജലാശയത്തിലേക്ക് പുറപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• सुतृप्ता: well-satiated
• सुतृप्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + तृप्त (कृदन्त; तृप् धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सा/धेनुः)

• यवसेन: with fodder
• यवसेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• मध्याह्ने: at midday
• मध्याह्ने: Adhikarana (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्याह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तृषिताम्: thirsty
• तृषिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृष् (धातु) + इत (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (thirsty)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

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

• निर्ययौ: went out
• निर्ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर् + या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• विप्रः: the Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दामबद्धाम्: bound with a rope
• दामबद्धाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + बद्ध (कृदन्त; बन्ध् धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (दाम्ना बद्धा)

• जलाशयम्: to a water-reservoir/pond
• जलाशयम्: Karma (Goal/गन्तव्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (जलस्य आशयः)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual attribution within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (jalāśaya in its vicinity)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At midday, the brāhmaṇa leads the rope-tethered cow (with calf nearby or implied) along a sunlit lane toward a pond/reservoir; the cow shows thirst and urgency.

Characters & Entities

• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• dhenu (cow)
• jalāśaya (waterbody)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is practical compassion—attentiveness to the needs of beings under one’s care.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A jalāśaya (sacred/communal water source) appears within the Dvārakā Māhātmya setting, supporting the Purāṇic emphasis on waterbodies in sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; it narrates taking the cow to water—an element of go-sevā.