Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

गावो मे चाग्रतः सन्तु गावो मे सन्तु पृष्ठतः । गावो मे हृदये सन्तु गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम्

Transliteration

gāvo me cāgrataḥ santu gāvo me santu pṛṣṭhataḥ | gāvo me hṛdaye santu gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham

Translation

ขอให้โคทั้งหลายอยู่เบื้องหน้าข้าพเจ้า; ขอให้โคทั้งหลายอยู่เบื้องหลังข้าพเจ้า ขอให้โคทั้งหลายสถิตในดวงใจข้าพเจ้า; และขอให้ข้าพเจ้าอยู่ท่ามกลางโคทั้งหลาย

Word by Word

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; मम (of me)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अग्रतः: in front
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• सन्तु: may they be
• सन्तु: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• सन्तु: may they be
• सन्तु: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• पृष्ठतः: behind
• पृष्ठतः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• हृदये: in (my) heart
• हृदये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन

• सन्तु: may they be
• सन्तु: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; मध्ये = in the midst

• वसामि: I dwell
• वसामि: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (common); प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृ-प्रयोगे

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa liturgical verse/prayer in the ritual sequence)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene pastoral-ritual tableau: the donor stands amid a circle of gentle cows, hands in prayer, visualizing cows before, behind, and within the heart.

Characters & Entities

• gāvaḥ (cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cows symbolize nourishment and dharmic protection; keeping them ‘around’ oneself signifies living within the shelter of merit and compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a devotional-prayer verse within Revākhaṇḍa; the wider frame is the Revā (Narmadā) sacred region rather than a single named shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A protective prayer/utterance (stuti) centering the devotee within the auspicious presence of cows, typically following gau-dāna procedures.