Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

जलधेनुं च यो दद्याद्धृषसंस्थे दिवाकरे । तिलधेनुं मृगस्थे च नरकं न स पश्यति

Transliteration

jaladhenuṃ ca yo dadyāddhṛṣasaṃsthe divākare | tiladhenuṃ mṛgasthe ca narakaṃ na sa paśyati

Translation

Sesiapa yang mendermakan ‘jaladhenu’ (lembu air) ketika Matahari berada dalam Dhṛṣa, dan ‘tiladhenu’ (lembu bijan) ketika Matahari berada dalam Mṛga, dia tidak akan melihat neraka.

Word by Word

• जलधेनुम्: a ‘water-cow’ (water donation in cow-form)
• जलधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल-धेनु (प्रातिपदिक; जल + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (जलस्य धेनुः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• हृषसंस्थे: when (the sun) is in Hṛṣa (zodiac sign)
• हृषसंस्थे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष-संस्थ (प्रातिपदिक; हृष + संस्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिवाकरे)

• दिवाकरे: when the sun (is...)
• दिवाकरे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तिलधेनुम्: a sesame-cow (sesame donation)
• तिलधेनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल-धेनु (प्रातिपदिक; तिल + धेनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तिलस्य धेनुः)

• मृगस्थे: when (the sun) is in Mṛga (zodiac sign)
• मृगस्थे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृग-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; मृग + स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिवाकरे)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation to verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhīṣma (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual pavilion at a tīrtha: a donor offers a ‘jaladhenu’ (cow-form vessel/representation filled with water) and later a ‘tiladhenu’ (cow-form representation associated with sesame), with priests chanting and the Sun’s transit indicated in the sky-chart motif.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Divākara)
• Dāna (ritual charity)
• Jaladhenū
• Tiladhenū

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely, vowed charity (dāna) performed with ritual intent is praised as a powerful purifier that prevents a fall into hellish suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donating symbolic ‘cows’—a jaladhenū (water-related gift) and a tiladhenū (sesame-related gift)—at specified solar placements (Dhṛṣa and Mṛga).