Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

गां प्रयच्छति विप्रेभ्यस्तत्फलं शृणु पाण्डव । यावन्ति तस्या रोमाणि तत्प्रसूतिकुलेषु च

Transliteration

gāṃ prayacchati viprebhyastatphalaṃ śṛṇu pāṇḍava | yāvanti tasyā romāṇi tatprasūtikuleṣu ca

Translation

โอ้ปาณฑวะ จงฟังผลแห่งการถวายโคแก่พราหมณ์: มีขนบนโคกี่เส้น และในตระกูลที่เกิดจากลูกหลานของมันกี่สาย—บุญกุศลก็มีประมาณใหญ่เท่านั้น

Word by Word

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular feminine

• प्रयच्छति: gives
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘gives/bestows’

• विप्रेभ्यः: to the Brahmins
• विप्रेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन; dative plural masculine

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; demonstrative used adjectivally

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular neuter

• शृणु: hear
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘hear’

• पाण्डव: O Pāṇḍava
• पाण्डव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; vocative singular masculine

• यावन्ति: as many as
• यावन्ति: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; correl. adjective nominative plural neuter

• तस्याः: of that (cow)
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular feminine

• रोमाणि: hairs
• रोमाणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; nominative plural neuter

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासपूर्वपद-रूप; demonstrative ‘that’

• प्रसूति: offspring/birth
• प्रसूति: Sambandha (Compound-member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसूति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (तत् + प्रसूति + कुल); ‘born from that (cow)’ as qualifier of ‘kula’

• कुलेषु: in the families/lineages
• कुलेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन; locative plural neuter; within compound तत्प्रसूतिकुलेषु

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (and)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor leads a decorated cow (garlanded, with cloth and bell) to a Brāhmaṇa near a riverbank; the narrator addresses ‘Pāṇḍava’ as the merit is proclaimed, with symbolic imagery of countless hairs turning into streams of light (puṇya).

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍava
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed with dharmic intent—especially go-dāna—multiplies merit beyond ordinary measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā sacred geography), praising tīrtha-related merit through acts like dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go-dāna—donating a cow to Brāhmaṇas.