Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

उरः स्कन्दः शिरो ब्रह्मा ललाटे वृषभध्वजः । चन्द्रार्कौ लोचने देवौ जिह्वायां च सरस्वती

Transliteration

uraḥ skandaḥ śiro brahmā lalāṭe vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ | candrārkau locane devau jihvāyāṃ ca sarasvatī

Translation

ที่อกของนางมีสกันทะสถิต; ที่ศีรษะมีพรหมา; และที่หน้าผากมีพระผู้ทรงธงวัว (ศิวะ). ดวงจันทร์และดวงอาทิตย์เป็นเทพสององค์ในดวงตา และสรัสวตีสถิตบนลิ้นของนาง.

Word by Word

• उरः: the chest
• उरः: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्; (अत्र ‘उरः’ इति अङ्गनिर्देशः)

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्

• शिरः: the head
• शिरः: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्

• ललाटे: on the forehead
• ललाटे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ललाट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th) एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्

• वृषभध्वजः: Śiva (whose banner is the bull)
• वृषभध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ-ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक; वृषभ + ध्वज)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्

• चन्द्रार्कौ: the Moon and the Sun
• चन्द्रार्कौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र-अर्क (प्रातिपदिक; चन्द्र + अर्क)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) द्विवचनम्

• लोचने: in the two eyes
• लोचने: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th) द्विवचनम्; अधिकरणम्

• देवौ: two deities
• देवौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) द्विवचनम्; (चन्द्रार्कयोः विशेषण/अन्वयः)

• जिह्वायाम्: on the tongue
• जिह्वायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th) एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयबोधकः (conjunction)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचनम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous cow shown as a living mandala: Skanda glowing at the chest, Brahmā at the head, Śiva on the forehead; Sun and Moon as her eyes; Sarasvatī as a subtle presence at the tongue, suggesting sacred speech.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Brahmā
• Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• Candra
• Sūrya
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The cow is depicted as a living mandala of deities, making service and gifting of cows a highly sanctifying act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Revā-kṣetra dāna teaching, supporting the tīrtha’s emphasis on go-dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It provides theological grounding for go-dāna by mapping divine presences onto the cow’s body.