Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

गोप्रदानं प्रशंसंति तत्रान्नमुदकं तथा । सर्वपापविनाशाय प्रेत्यानंतसुखाय च

Transliteration

gopradānaṃ praśaṃsaṃti tatrānnamudakaṃ tathā | sarvapāpavināśāya pretyānaṃtasukhāya ca

Translation

அங்கே கோதானம் புகழப்படுகிறது; அதுபோல அன்னதானமும் நீர்தானமும்—எல்லாப் பாவநாசத்திற்கும், மரணத்திற்குப் பின் முடிவில்லா இன்பத்திற்கும்.

Word by Word

• गोप्रदानम्: gift of a cow
• गोप्रदानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोः प्रदानम्)

• प्रशंसन्ति: they praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• उदकम्: water
• उदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• तथा: also; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/उपमानार्थ क्रियाविशेषण (also/likewise)

• सर्वपापविनाशाय: for the destruction of all sins
• सर्वपापविनाशाय: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां पापानां विनाशः) + तदर्थे चतुर्थी (purpose)

• प्रेत्य: after death; having departed
• प्रेत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) ‘प्रेत्य’ = प्र + इ + क्त्वा (irregular form), अर्थः ‘मरणानन्तरम्/परलोकं गत्वा’

• अनन्तसुखाय: for endless happiness
• अनन्तसुखाय: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अनन्तं सुखम्) + तदर्थे चतुर्थी

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from the instructional tone within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (dāna-mahātmyam)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A charitable scene at Prabhāsa: donors offer a cow to a worthy recipient, distribute food, and set up water pots for travelers; the temple and pilgrims form the backdrop, emphasizing compassion and dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• dāna (charity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna (charity) at a sacred place is upheld as a potent purifier and as a source of enduring well-being beyond this life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as the setting where these gifts are especially praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform go-pradāna (cow-gift) and also offer food and water (anna-dāna, udaka-dāna) at the tīrtha.