Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

गवां कोटि प्रदानेन सम्यग्दत्तेन यत्फलम । तत्फलं सम्यगाप्येत विश्वेश्वर विलोकनात्

Transliteration

gavāṃ koṭi pradānena samyagdattena yatphalama | tatphalaṃ samyagāpyeta viśveśvara vilokanāt

Translation

ผลบุญที่ได้จากการถวายโคหนึ่งโกฏิอย่างถูกต้อง ผลนั้นย่อมบรรลุครบถ้วนได้เพียงด้วยการได้เห็นพระวิศเวศวรเท่านั้น

Word by Word

• गवाम्: of cows
• गवाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• कोटि: a crore (ten million)
• कोटि: Karma (Object within phrase/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम

• प्रदानेन: by the giving
• प्रदानेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु) + प्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: properly)

• दत्तेन: given
• दत्तेन: Karana (Qualifier of instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दत्त (कृदन्त; √दा (धातु))
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; प्रदानेन सह विशेषणम्

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सहसंबन्धी

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सम्यक्: fully/properly
• सम्यक्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय

• आप्येत: may be obtained
• आप्येत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (impersonal sense: ‘may be obtained’)

• विश्वेश्वर: O Viśveśvara
• विश्वेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विश्वस्य ईश्वरः)

• विलोकनात्: from seeing (him)
• विलोकनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलोकन (प्रातिपदिक; वि-√लोक् (धातु))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim’s first sight of Viśveśvara: the sanctum doors open, the liṅga gleams with offerings; in the background, a symbolic procession of countless cows fades, indicating equivalence of go-dāna fruit to mere darśana.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Go-dāna (cow-gift)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of Viśveśvara in Kāśī is exalted as equal to immense charity, underscoring the site’s concentrated sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśvara (Kāśī Viśvanātha) in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Viśveśvara-vilokana (darśana) and the benchmark of go-dāna (cow-gifting).