Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र गङ्गा महापुण्या चचार विपुलं तपः । पुरा वर्षशतं साग्रं परमं व्रतमास्थिता

Transliteration

tatra gaṅgā mahāpuṇyā cacāra vipulaṃ tapaḥ | purā varṣaśataṃ sāgraṃ paramaṃ vratamāsthitā

Translation

Dort übte die hochverdienstvolle Gaṅgā reiches Tapas. Einst, hundert Jahre und mehr, nahm sie das höchste Gelübde auf sich.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• महापुण्या: greatly holy
• महापुण्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् गङ्गा

• चचार: practised; performed
• चचार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• विपुलम्: abundant; great
• विपुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् तपः

• तपः: austerity; penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरा: formerly; once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• वर्षशतम्: a hundred years
• वर्षशतम्: Kala (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• साग्रम्: with an excess; more than (by a bit)
• साग्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् वर्षशतम्

• परमम्: supreme; highest
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् व्रतम्

• व्रतम्: vow; observance
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आस्थिता: having undertaken; having observed
• आस्थिता: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘स्थितवती’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgāvāhaka

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Gaṅgā as a radiant goddess seated in meditation on the Narmadā bank, performing a long vow; time suggested by cycles of seasons around her.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a supremely holy being upholds dharma through long austerity and steadfast vrata, showing tapas as a path to divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred region) within the Āvantya Khaṇḍa, framing the episode in a tirtha-mahātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A long-term vrata supported by tapas is indicated (no specific ritual items are named in this verse).