Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 56
यावद्वत्सस्य पादौ द्वौ मुखं योन्यां प्रदृश्यते । तावद्गौः पृथिवी ज्ञेया यावद्गर्भं न मुञ्चति
yāvadvatsasya pādau dvau mukhaṃ yonyāṃ pradṛśyate | tāvadgauḥ pṛthivī jñeyā yāvadgarbhaṃ na muñcati
Selama mana kedua kaki dan wajah anak lembu masih kelihatan dalam rahim, selama itu hendaklah lembu itu difahami sebagai Ibu Bumi sendiri—hingga ia melepaskan janin.
Narrator addressing the King (context from surrounding verses)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-zone
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nara-adhipa (king) / tīrtha-śravaṇa audience
Scene: A serene cowshed near a riverbank: a pregnant, gentle cow stands with a faintly ‘revealed’ calf-form suggested within; sages indicate that she embodies the Earth. The river Revā flows behind with tīrtha markers and lamps.
FAQs
The cow is equated with Earth, highlighting her life-sustaining sanctity and why her gift is considered supremely meritorious.
The Revā/Narmadā māhātmya context frames the teaching, though the verse itself is symbolic rather than topographical.
No direct rite; it provides a theological identification (cow = Earth) to elevate the significance of go-dāna.