Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

क्षीरेण स्नापयेद्देवि यदि तं वृषभेश्वरम् । सप्तधेनुसहस्राणां स फलं विंदते महत्

Transliteration

kṣīreṇa snāpayeddevi yadi taṃ vṛṣabheśvaram | saptadhenusahasrāṇāṃ sa phalaṃ viṃdate mahat

Translation

اے دیوی، اگر کوئی ورشبھیشور کو دودھ سے اشنان کرائے تو وہ سات ہزار گایوں کے دان کے برابر عظیم پھل پاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• क्षीरेण: with milk
• क्षीरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तसूचक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• तम्: him/that one
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• वृषभेश्वरम्: Lord of the bull (Vṛṣabheśvara)
• वृषभेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वृषभस्य ईश्वरः)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; समासे पूर्वपद (indeclinable numeral used adjectivally)

• धेनु: cow
• धेनु: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासे पूर्वपद (cow)

• सहस्राणाम्: of (the gift of) seven thousand cows
• सहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Genitive plural); द्विगु-समास: सप्त-धेनु-सहस्र (seven-thousand cows)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

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

• विन्दते: obtains
• विन्दते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular); फलम् इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (in dialogue with Devī/Pārvatī, inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛṣabheśvara (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Mahādevī/Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bright stream of milk poured over the liṅga named Vṛṣabheśvara; behind, a symbolic procession of cows—seven thousand—rendered as a faint celestial tally, indicating the equivalence to go-dāna; the devotee stands with a brass pot, lamps glowing.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣabheśvara
• Milk abhiṣeka
• Cow-gift (go-dāna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offering pure substances in devotion can equal vast acts of charity, showing how bhakti and dāna converge in tīrtha-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vṛṣabheśvara at Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where milk-abhiṣeka is praised as exceptionally meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Milk abhiṣeka (kṣīreṇa snāpana) to Vṛṣabheśvara.