Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

महीदोहे महानंदसंदोहे विश्वमोहिनि । जातासि सरितां राज्ञि पापं हर महीद्रवे । इत्यर्घ्यमंत्रः

Transliteration

mahīdohe mahānaṃdasaṃdohe viśvamohini | jātāsi saritāṃ rājñi pāpaṃ hara mahīdrave | ityarghyamaṃtraḥ

Translation

«يا إلهةً وُلِدتِ من حَلْبِ الأرض، يا كنزَ الفرح العظيم، يا مُسحِرةَ العوالم؛ يا ملكةَ الأنهار، قد ظهرتِ—يا ماهي (Mahī) الجارية، أزيلي الخطيئة!»—هذا هو مَنترا الأَرْغْيَا (arghya-mantra).

Word by Word

• महीदोहे: in the milking/flow of the earth
• महीदोहे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही-दोह (प्रातिपदिक; मही + दोह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• महानन्दसंदोहे: in the great mass of bliss
• महानन्दसंदोहे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानन्द-संदोह (प्रातिपदिक; महा + आनन्द + संदोह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (महानन्दः एव संदोहः)

• विश्वमोहिनि: O enchantress of the world
• विश्वमोहिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व-मोहिनी (प्रातिपदिक; विश्व + मोहिनी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/उपपद-भावः: विश्वं मोहयति इति)

• जातासि: you are born / have arisen
• जातासि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु) + जात (कृदन्त) + असि (अस्, तिङन्त)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; रूपम्: जाताऽसि (= जाता असि), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त + अस्-धातोः वर्तमान

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• राज्ञि: O queen
• राज्ञि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्ञी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• हर: remove
• हर: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महीद्रवे: in the earth’s flow/stream
• महीद्रवे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही-द्रव (प्रातिपदिक; मही + द्रव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• इति: thus
• इति: Discourse marker (Vakyopanyasa/वाक्योपन्यास)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति-सूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• अर्घ्यमंत्रः: the arghya-mantra (offering formula)
• अर्घ्यमंत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ्य-मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; अर्घ्य + मन्त्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahīsāgara-saṅgama

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn stands at the river’s mouth where fresh water meets the sea, offering arghya with cupped hands to the personified goddess Mahī rising from the waters, surrounded by lotuses and shimmering foam.

Characters & Entities

• Mahī (river as goddess)
• Arghya-mantra
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching the river as a divine mother and offering arghya with prayer is taught as a means of pāpa-kṣaya (sin-removal).

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Mahī river (and by context, its sacred bathing zones including the ocean confluence).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use this as the arghya-mantra while making a water offering to Mahī during worship/bathing.