Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

सुवर्णशृंगसहितां राजतखुरभूषिताम् । रत्नपुच्छां वस्त्रयुतां ताम्रपृष्ठां सवत्सकाम्

Transliteration

suvarṇaśṛṃgasahitāṃ rājatakhurabhūṣitām | ratnapucchāṃ vastrayutāṃ tāmrapṛṣṭhāṃ savatsakām

Translation

ਗਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਦਾਨ ਲਈ ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਸਜਾਇਆ ਜਾਵੇ—ਸੁਵਰਨ ਦੇ ਸਿੰਗਾਂ ਸਮੇਤ, ਚਾਂਦੀ ਨਾਲ ਅਲੰਕ੍ਰਿਤ ਖੁਰਾਂ ਵਾਲੀ, ਰਤਨਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਸੁਸ਼ੋਭਿਤ ਪੁੱਛ ਵਾਲੀ, ਵਸਤ੍ਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਯੁਕਤ, ਤਾਂਬੇ ਦੀ ਪਿੱਠ-ਢੱਕਣੀ ਵਾਲੀ, ਅਤੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਬੱਛੜੇ ਸਮੇਤ।

Word by Word

• सुवर्णशृङ्गसहिताम्: having golden horns
• सुवर्णशृङ्गसहिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + सहित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सुवर्णशृङ्गैः सहिता)

• राजतखुरभूषिताम्: adorned with silver hooves
• राजतखुरभूषिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजत (प्रातिपदिक) + खुर (प्रातिपदिक) + भूषित (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (भूषित), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (राजतखुरैः भूषिता)

• रत्नपुच्छाम्: with a jeweled tail
• रत्नपुच्छाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + पुच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (रत्नपुच्छा—रत्नयुक्तं पुच्छं यस्याः)

• वस्त्रयुताम्: clothed/with garments
• वस्त्रयुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + युत (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (युत), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वस्त्रेण युता)

• ताम्रपृष्ठाम्: with a copper-colored back
• ताम्रपृष्ठाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ताम्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (ताम्रं पृष्ठं यस्याः)

• सवत्सकाम्: together with her calf
• सवत्सकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्ययार्थ) + वत्सक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वत्सकेन सह)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomati-tīrtha at Dvārakā (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee presents a richly adorned cow with her calf to a seated brāhmaṇa near the Gomati at Dvārakā; golden horn-caps, silver hoof-ornaments, gem-studded tail-band, cloth drape, and a copper-toned back-cover shimmer in lamplight; temple spire and riverbank in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Go-dāna (cow gift)
• Kārttika (context continued)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity (dāna), performed with reverence and completeness, is a central expression of Purāṇic dharma and amplifies tīrtha-related merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing setting is Dvārakā Māhātmya with Gomati-tīrtha context, where such dānas are praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A go-dāna specification: gifting a cow with prescribed adornments and with her calf.