Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

पाययित्वा सुतं बालं दृष्ट्वा पृष्ट्वा जनं स्वकम् । पुनः प्रत्यागमिष्यामि यदि त्वं मन्यसे विभो

Transliteration

pāyayitvā sutaṃ bālaṃ dṛṣṭvā pṛṣṭvā janaṃ svakam | punaḥ pratyāgamiṣyāmi yadi tvaṃ manyase vibho

Translation

ਆਪਣੇ ਨਿੱਕੇ ਬੱਛੜੇ ਨੂੰ ਦੁੱਧ ਪਿਲਾ ਕੇ, ਅਤੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ ਪੁੱਛ-ਪੜਤਾਲ ਕਰ ਕੇ, ਮੈਂ ਫਿਰ ਮੁੜ ਆਵਾਂਗੀ—ਜੇ ਤੂੰ, ਹੇ ਮਹਾਬਲੀ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ, ਆਗਿਆ ਦੇਵੇਂ।

Word by Word

• पाययित्वा: having fed (with milk); having made drink
• पाययित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), णिच्-प्रयोग (causative): 'पाययित्वा' = having made (him) drink

• सुतम्: son
• सुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बालम्: young
• बालम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सुतस्य विशेषणम्

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund): having seen

• पृष्ट्वा: having asked
• पृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund): having asked

• जनम्: people; person
• जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्वकम्: one's own
• स्वकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; जनम्-इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पुनरावृत्तिवाचक

• प्रत्यागमिष्यामि: I will return
• प्रत्यागमिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition marker (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-निपात (conditional particle)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मन्यसे: think; consider
• मन्यसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• विभो: O mighty one; O lord
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Kapilā (the cow)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gentle cow (Kapilā) stands before a tiger in a forest-edge clearing, pleading for leave to feed her calf and check her cowshed, hands (forelegs) implied in supplication; the calf is shown in the distance near a simple gokuḷa enclosure.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā
• Vyāghra (tiger)
• calf
• her people (jana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Duty to dependents and fidelity to one’s word are upheld together—service first, then returning to face consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda setting remains implicit; the verse centers on ethical conduct rather than explicit tīrtha praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed; the emphasis is on pratijñā (a pledged return) grounded in dharma.