Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

गोर्वाचावाचकः शब्दो भवतीभिर्मया सह । गोप्रचारेति वै नाम्नां ख्यातिं लोके गमिष्यति

Transliteration

gorvācāvācakaḥ śabdo bhavatībhirmayā saha | gopracāreti vai nāmnāṃ khyātiṃ loke gamiṣyati

Translation

“‘ഗോ’ എന്ന ശബ്ദം വാണിയെ സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; നിങ്ങളോടൊപ്പം എന്റെ കാരണത്താൽ ഈ സ്ഥലം ‘ഗോപ്രചാര’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ ലോകത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധമാകും।”

Word by Word

• गोः: of a cow/of cows
• गोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वाचा: by speech/word
• वाचा: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अवाचकः: not denoting (not signifying)
• अवाचकः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (निषेध) + वाचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• शब्दः: a word/term
• शब्दः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवतीभिः: with you ladies
• भवतीभिः: Saha (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मया: with me/by me
• मया: Saha (Association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (speaker), तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Saha (Association)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्यय (postposition meaning 'with')

• गोप्रचार: cow-pasturing/going with cows
• गोप्रचार: Samjna (Name/Appellation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध: 'of cows' + 'movement/pasturing'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (नामरूपेण)

• इति: thus (called)
• इति: Avyaya (Marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Avyaya (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• नाम्नाम्: of names
• नाम्नाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ख्यातिम्: fame/renown
• ख्यातिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख्याति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• गमिष्यति: will go/attain
• गमिष्यति: Kriya (Action/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopracāra

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa explains the meaning of ‘go’ as speech and proclaims the name ‘Gopracāra’. The scene can include a symbolic motif: a flowing ribbon of script emerging from Kṛṣṇa’s mouth, merging into the lake/landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Gopīs
• Gopracāra (tīrtha-name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas sanctify geography through meaning-filled names; remembrance of the name becomes a doorway to merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gopracāra, a tīrtha-name associated with Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs in the Dvārakā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it focuses on name-glory and etymological explanation.