Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 113

Devanagari script

श्वेता वा कपिला वापि क्षीरिणी पाण्डुनन्दन । सवत्सा च सुशीला च सितवस्त्रावगुण्ठिता

Transliteration

śvetā vā kapilā vāpi kṣīriṇī pāṇḍunandana | savatsā ca suśīlā ca sitavastrāvaguṇṭhitā

Translation

హే పాండునందన! ఆవు తెల్లదైనా కపిలవర్ణమైనా, పాలతో సమృద్ధిగా ఉండాలి; దూడతో కూడి, సుశీల స్వభావముతో, తెల్ల వస్త్రముతో కప్పబడిన—అటువంటి గోవును దానమివ్వాలి.

Word by Word

• śvetā: white (cow)
• śvetā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: “or”)

• kapilā: tawny/brownish
• kapilā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kapilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: “or”)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: “also/even”)

• kṣīriṇī: milk-giving, milch
• kṣīriṇī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣīrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• pāṇḍu-nandana: O son of Pāṇḍu
• pāṇḍu-nandana: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu (प्रातिपदिक) + nandana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sa-vatsā: with a calf
• sa-vatsā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + vatsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘वatsa’ सहित (having a calf)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction: “and”)

• su-śīlā: good-natured, well-behaved
• su-śīlā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग) + śīlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction: “and”)

• sita-vastra-avaguṇṭhitā: covered/veiled with white cloth
• sita-vastra-avaguṇṭhitā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sita (प्रातिपदिक) + vastra (प्रातिपदिक) + avaguṇṭhita (कृदन्त; √guṇṭh/guṇṭh (धातु) with ava-; past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hanūmanteśvara (Revā-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (addressed as Pāṇḍu-nandana in the verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene temple forecourt near the Revā; a gentle white or tawny cow with her calf stands draped in a white cloth, prepared for ritual gifting; donors and priests arrange offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍunandana (Yudhiṣṭhira)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity should be thoughtful and auspicious—offering a healthy, gentle, life-sustaining cow is portrayed as a high dharmic gift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site; the focus is on the dharma of gifting within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred merit framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Guidelines for Gau-dāna: a milk-yielding cow, with calf, gentle, and ceremonially covered with a white cloth.