Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22
ततो दयां समाश्रित्य त्यक्त्वा स्नेहं सुतोद्भवम् । आत्मनश्च तथा प्राणान्गां वितृष्णामथाकरोत्
tato dayāṃ samāśritya tyaktvā snehaṃ sutodbhavam | ātmanaśca tathā prāṇāngāṃ vitṛṣṇāmathākarot
แล้วนางอาศัยเมตตากรุณา วางความยึดติดที่เกิดจากบุตรทั้งหลาย และแม้ลมหายใจของตนก็ไม่หวงแหน จึงทำให้โคนั้นพ้นจากความกระหายน้ำ
Narrator (Sūta, by continuity)
Tirtha: (Contextual) The well/kund within the kṣetra (name not given)
Type: kund
Listener: Sages in the Purāṇic frame
Scene: The woman, parched and exhausted, draws or offers the scant water to the cow first; her face shows resolve and compassion; the cow drinks and revives. The moment is framed as sacred—light subtly falls on the act.
FAQs
Compassion that overcomes self-interest and attachment becomes powerful puṇya, capable of transforming destiny across births.
The act occurs within the sacred kṣetra praised in Adhyāya 62 (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra), illustrating its dharma-enhancing atmosphere.
No codified ritual; the verse elevates practical dharma—relieving thirst and serving the cow—as spiritually potent.