Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

क्षीरेण स्नापयेद्देवि यदि तं वृषभेश्वरम् । सप्तधेनुसहस्राणां स फलं विंदते महत्

Transliteration

kṣīreṇa snāpayeddevi yadi taṃ vṛṣabheśvaram | saptadhenusahasrāṇāṃ sa phalaṃ viṃdate mahat

Translation

Wahai Devī, jika seseorang memandikan Vṛṣabheśvara dengan susu, dia memperoleh buah pahala yang besar, setara dengan sedekah tujuh ribu ekor lembu.

Word by Word

• क्षीरेण: with milk
• क्षीरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

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

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तसूचक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• तम्: him/that one
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• वृषभेश्वरम्: Lord of the bull (Vṛṣabheśvara)
• वृषभेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वृषभस्य ईश्वरः)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; समासे पूर्वपद (indeclinable numeral used adjectivally)

• धेनु: cow
• धेनु: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासे पूर्वपद (cow)

• सहस्राणाम्: of (the gift of) seven thousand cows
• सहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Genitive plural); द्विगु-समास: सप्त-धेनु-सहस्र (seven-thousand cows)

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

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• विन्दते: obtains
• विन्दते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular); फलम् इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (in dialogue with Devī/Pārvatī, inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛṣabheśvara (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Mahādevī/Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bright stream of milk poured over the liṅga named Vṛṣabheśvara; behind, a symbolic procession of cows—seven thousand—rendered as a faint celestial tally, indicating the equivalence to go-dāna; the devotee stands with a brass pot, lamps glowing.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣabheśvara
• Milk abhiṣeka
• Cow-gift (go-dāna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offering pure substances in devotion can equal vast acts of charity, showing how bhakti and dāna converge in tīrtha-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vṛṣabheśvara at Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where milk-abhiṣeka is praised as exceptionally meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Milk abhiṣeka (kṣīreṇa snāpana) to Vṛṣabheśvara.