Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

धेनुके त्वं प्रतीक्षस्व यमद्वारे महाभये । उत्तितीर्षुरहं धेनो वैतरण्यै नमोऽस्तु ते । इत्यनुव्रजमन्त्रः

Transliteration

dhenuke tvaṃ pratīkṣasva yamadvāre mahābhaye | uttitīrṣurahaṃ dheno vaitaraṇyai namo'stu te | ityanuvrajamantraḥ

Translation

โอ้โคศักดิ์สิทธิ์เอ๋ย จงคอยข้าที่ประตูพระยม ในความน่ากลัวอันใหญ่หลวงนั้น โอ้โคเอ๋ย ข้าปรารถนาจะข้ามพ้น—ขอนอบน้อมแด่ท่าน โอ้ไวตารณี นี่คือมนต์ ‘อนุวรชะ’

Word by Word

• धेनुके: O cow
• धेनुके: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular (f.)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सम्बन्धि सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular (2nd person pronoun)

• प्रतीक्षस्व: wait
• प्रतीक्षस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति√ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् — Imperative, 2nd person singular, Ātmanepada

• यमद्वारे: at Yama's gate
• यमद्वारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Locative singular; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यमस्य द्वारम्)

• महाभये: in great fear/terror
• महाभये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Locative singular; कर्मधारय (महद् भयम्)

• उत्तितीर्षुः: wishing to cross
• उत्तितीर्षुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्+√तॄ (धातु) + तितीर्षु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; इच्छार्थक-उणादि/देशिदेरिवेटिव ‘तितीर्षु’ — Desiderative/intentive adjective: “wishing to cross”

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular (1st person pronoun)

• धेनो: O cow
• धेनो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Vocative singular (f.)

• वैतरण्यै: to Vaitaraṇī (river)
• वैतरण्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन — Dative singular

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात — Indeclinable interjection of salutation

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आशीर्लिङ्ग/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् — Imperative/benedictive, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन — Dative singular (to you)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-suchaka (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्य-समाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक — Quotative particle

• अनुव्रजमन्त्रः: the accompanying-mantra (mantra to follow)
• अनुव्रजमन्त्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनु + व्रज (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular; तत्पुरुष (अनुव्रजस्य मन्त्रः / अनुव्रजनार्थः मन्त्रः)

Speaker

Narratorial/ritual-instruction voice quoting the prescribed mantra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaitaraṇī (as eschatological river) invoked within Revā-mahātmya discourse

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a king addressed as ‘mahīpāla’ in nearby verses (contextual listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at the fearful gate of Yama, palms joined, addressing a gentle cow as Vaitaraṇī-savior; behind, a dark river of dread transforms into a luminous ford.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (Dharmarāja)
• Vaitaraṇī
• Dhenu (cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Meritorious charity becomes spiritual support beyond death; dharma is portrayed as an aid at the fearful threshold of the hereafter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage is set within Revā Khaṇḍa; the imagery centers on Yamadvāra and Vaitaraṇī rather than a terrestrial pilgrimage spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite the anuvraja-mantra while ritually ‘following’/escorting the donated cow, invoking its help for crossing at Yama’s gate.