Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

गावः प्रदक्षिणीकार्याः पूजनीयाश्च नित्यशः । मंगलायतनं देव्यः सृष्टा ह्येताः स्वयंभुवा

Transliteration

gāvaḥ pradakṣiṇīkāryāḥ pūjanīyāśca nityaśaḥ | maṃgalāyatanaṃ devyaḥ sṛṣṭā hyetāḥ svayaṃbhuvā

Translation

ഗോവുകളെ പ്രദക്ഷിണം ചെയ്യുകയും നിത്യമായി പൂജിക്കുകയും വേണം. ഈ ദിവ്യ ഗോവുകൾ മംഗളത്തിന്റെ ആലയങ്ങളാണ്; സ്വയംഭൂ (ബ്രഹ്മാവ്) അവയെ സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• pradakṣiṇī-kāryāḥ: to be circumambulated
• pradakṣiṇī-kāryāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (pradakṣiṇā kāryā = ‘to be circumambulated’)

• pūjanīyāḥ: worthy of worship
• pūjanīyāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūj (धातु) + anīya (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: अनिय-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: ‘worthy to be worshipped’), स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थकः

• nityaśaḥ: always
• nityaśaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: ‘always/regularly’)

• maṃgala-āyatanam: abode of auspiciousness
• maṃgala-āyatanam: Pratijna/Predicate (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃgala (प्रातिपदिक) + āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (maṃgalasya āyatanam)

• devyaḥ: divine (fem.) beings
• devyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; गवां विशेषणरूपेण (appositional: ‘divine ones’)

• sṛṣṭāḥ: created
• sṛṣṭāḥ: Pratijna/Predicate (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sṛj (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः, स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; कर्मणि-भावः (created)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Upapada (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (emphasis/causal)

• etāḥ: these (fem.)
• etāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• svayaṃbhuvā: by the Self-born (Brahmā)
• svayaṃbhuvā: Karana/Karta (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayaṃbhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचनम्; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देशे (by the Self-born Brahmā)

Speaker

Āpastamba (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees circumambulate a calm cow adorned with garlands and tilaka; offerings of grass and water; a sage explains their divine origin from Brahmā.

Characters & Entities

• Āpastamba
• Gāvaḥ (cows)
• Svayaṃbhū (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspiciousness is cultivated through reverent daily practices; honoring cows is presented as honoring a sacred source of welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, the instruction links local sanctity to universal dharma of worship and purity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) and nitya-pūjā (daily worship) of cows.