Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

यथालाभा तु सर्वेषां चतुर्द्रोणा तु गौः स्मृता । द्रोणस्य वत्सकः कार्यो बहूनां वापि कामतः

Transliteration

yathālābhā tu sarveṣāṃ caturdroṇā tu gauḥ smṛtā | droṇasya vatsakaḥ kāryo bahūnāṃ vāpi kāmataḥ

Translation

ప్రతి దాత తన సామర్థ్యానుసారం; సంప్రదాయంగా గోవును ‘నాలుగు ద్రోణాలు’ పరిమాణంగా భావిస్తారు. ద్రోణ పరిమాణంలో ఒక దూడను ఇవ్వాలి—లేదా కోరిక ఉంటే మరింత కూడా ఇవ్వవచ్చు.

Word by Word

• yathā: according to
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/अनुरूपता-बोधक (as, according to)

• lābhā: gain, obtaining (as available)
• lābhā: Adhikaraṇa (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lābha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (समास/योग: yathā-lābha = यथालाभ ‘as obtained’)

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधसूचक (but/indeed)

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (of all)

• caturdroṇā: (measured as) four droṇas
• caturdroṇā: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + droṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (numerical compound) ‘चारः द्रोणाः यस्याः’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गौः इति विशेषण

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• gauḥ: cow
• gauḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• smṛtā: is regarded (as)
• smṛtā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (स्मृ) (कृत्: क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृत् (past passive participle) used predicatively; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (is considered/remembered)

• droṇasya: of a droṇa (measure)
• droṇasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: droṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vatsakaḥ: a calf
• vatsakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kāryaḥ: should be made/provided
• kāryaḥ: Vidhi (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) + -ya (कृत्य)
• Form: यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृत्य (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be made/provided)

• bahūnām: for/of many
• bahūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (for many)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (or)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (also/even)

• kāmataḥ: as desired, at will
• kāmataḥ: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘इच्छानुसारम्’ (as desired)

Speaker

Textual narrator giving technical dāna specifications (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha (gau-dāna context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual donation scene on a riverbank: a decorated cow with garlands, a calf beside her; a donor measuring grain in droṇa vessels to symbolize the ‘four droṇas’ equivalence; priests witnessing the sankalpa.

Characters & Entities

• Gau (cow)
• Droṇa (measure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dāna should be performed responsibly and proportionately, with clear completeness of the gift (cow with appropriate provisions).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the verse is a procedural instruction within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A guideline for gau-dāna using droṇa-based measures, including providing a calf in an appropriate measure (or more, if desired).