Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

पयसा स्नापयेद्देवं त्रिसन्ध्यं च त्र्यहं तथा । पयो गोसम्भवं सद्यः सवत्सा जीवपुत्रिणी

Transliteration

payasā snāpayeddevaṃ trisandhyaṃ ca tryahaṃ tathā | payo gosambhavaṃ sadyaḥ savatsā jīvaputriṇī

Translation

तीनही संध्याकाळी देवाला दुधाने स्नान घालावे आणि असे तीन दिवस करावे. दूध ताजे दुहिलेले गायीचे असावे—वासरासह आणि जिवंत पिल्ले असलेल्या गायीचे.

Word by Word

• पयसा: with milk
• पयसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• त्रिसन्ध्यम्: for the three sandhyās (thrice daily)
• त्रिसन्ध्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-सन्ध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु (तिस्रः सन्ध्याः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction: and)

• त्र्यहम्: for three days
• त्र्यहम्: Karma (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-अह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु (त्रीणि अहानि)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/रीतिवाचक अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

• पयः: milk
• पयः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गोसम्भवम्: arising from a cow (cow’s milk)
• गोसम्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गो-सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गोः सम्भवः)

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: immediately/at once)

• सवत्सा: having a calf
• सवत्सा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (यस्या वत्सः अस्ति सा)

• जीवपुत्रिणी: having a living son/offspring
• जीवपुत्रिणी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीव-पुत्रिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (जीवः पुत्रः यस्याः)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate chapter context in this passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kalhoḍī Tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira/Pārtha (contextual addressees in the passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Priests and devotees perform milk abhiṣeka to a Śiva-linga at dawn, noon, and dusk for three days; a cow with her calf stands nearby, emphasizing the prescribed source of milk; copper vessels and ritual implements arranged neatly.

Characters & Entities

• Deva (the worshipped deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship is refined through disciplined, time-bound ritual service performed with purity of offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Revā (Narmadā) region within the Āvantya Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography, though this verse describes a general ritual method.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Milk-abhiṣeka at the three daily sandhyās for three days, using fresh cow’s milk from a cow with her calf.