Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

गायत्र्या गृह्य गोमूत्रं गंधद्वारेति गोमयम् । आप्यायस्वेति च क्षीरं दधिक्राव्णेति वै दधि

Transliteration

gāyatryā gṛhya gomūtraṃ gaṃdhadvāreti gomayam | āpyāyasveti ca kṣīraṃ dadhikrāvṇeti vai dadhi

Translation

गायत्री मंत्राने गोमूत्र घ्यावे; ‘गंधद्वार’ मंत्राने गोमय; ‘आप्यायस्व’ मंत्राने दूध; आणि ‘दधिक्राव्ण’ मंत्राने दही—अशीच विधी आहे।

Word by Word

• गायत्र्या: with (the mantra) Gāyatrī
• गायत्र्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; instrumental

• गृह्य: having taken/recited (with)
• गृह्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Converb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव) = gerund; ‘गृहीत्वा’

• गोमूत्रम्: cow urine
• गोमूत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + मूत्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• गन्धद्वार: “Gandhadvāra” (mantra phrase)
• गन्धद्वार: Viśeṣaṇa/Mantra-śabda (Appositive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध + द्वार (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन (मन्त्रनाम); ‘गन्धस्य द्वारम्’

• इति: thus, saying
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरणसूचक) = quotative particle

• गोमयम्: cow dung
• गोमयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + मय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आप्यायस्व: “may you thrive/increase”
• आप्यायस्व: Vākya-kriyā (Mantra-verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + प्यै (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘वर्धस्व/तृप्यस्व’

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरणसूचक)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = conjunction

• क्षीरम्: milk
• क्षीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दधिक्राव्ण: “Dadhikrāvan” (mantra phrase)
• दधिक्राव्ण: Viśeṣaṇa/Mantra-śabda (Appositive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि + क्रावन् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (मन्त्रनाम); ‘दध्नः क्रावन्’ (मन्त्रपद)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरणसूचक)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण) = emphatic particle

• दधि: curd
• दधि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Brahmā-arcana context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of priests holding vessels labeled by mantra: one pours gomūtra while chanting Gāyatrī; another presents gomaya with ‘Gandhadvāra’; milk with ‘Āpyāyasva’; curd with ‘Dadhikrāva’; the air is filled with visible mantra-script ribbons.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Gandhadvāra
• Āpyāyasva
• Dadhikrāva
• Pañcagavya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity is not merely material; mantra and substance together sacralize action, aligning worship with Vedic sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s ritual tradition as presented in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use specific mantras while taking/using pañcagavya items—Gāyatrī for gomūtra, Gandhadvāra for gomaya, Āpyāyasva for milk, Dadhikrāva for curd.