Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

येन केनाप्युपायेन ब्राह्मणे तां समर्पयेत् । पृथ्वी दत्ता भवेत्तेन सशैलवनकानना

Transliteration

yena kenāpyupāyena brāhmaṇe tāṃ samarpayet | pṛthvī dattā bhavettena saśailavanakānanā

Translation

ज्या कोणत्याही उपायाने शक्य हो, तिला ब्राह्मणास अर्पण करावे. असे केल्याने पर्वत, वन व उपवनांसह पृथ्वीचे दान केल्यासारखे फल मिळते.

Word by Word

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kena: by some (means)
• kena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; प्रश्न/अनिश्चित सर्वनाम

• api: even/any
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/सम्भावना-निपात (particle: 'even/also/any')

• upāyena: by a means/method
• upāyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇe: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• tām: that (cow)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• samarpayet: should offer/dedicate
• samarpayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam√arp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pṛthvī: the Earth
• pṛthvī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• dattā: given
• dattā: Pratipādya/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dā (धातु) → datta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण

• bhavet: would be/becomes
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sa-śaila-vana-kānanā: with mountains, forests, and groves
• sa-śaila-vana-kānanā: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश) + śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सहार्थक-पूर्वपद 'स' युक्त समास (सहित-निर्देश)

Speaker

Narrator addressing the King (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (narādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor leads a decorated cow to a learned brāhmaṇa near a river-ghat. The landscape subtly expands into a symbolic panorama—mountains, forests, and groves—suggesting the Earth being offered through the cow.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇa
• Pṛthivī (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Because the cow embodies Earth’s sustaining power, gifting her is praised as an offering of the whole world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā region’s dharma-teaching milieu; the verse emphasizes universal merit rather than a single shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform go-dāna by formally offering the cow to a brāhmaṇa.