Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । गोदेहान्निःसृतं कस्माल्लिङ्गं पापक्षयंकरम् । दक्षिणे नर्मदाकूले मणिनागसमीपतः । संक्षेपात्कथ्यतां विप्र गोपारेश्वरसम्भवम्

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | godehānniḥsṛtaṃ kasmālliṅgaṃ pāpakṣayaṃkaram | dakṣiṇe narmadākūle maṇināgasamīpataḥ | saṃkṣepātkathyatāṃ vipra gopāreśvarasambhavam

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: Warum wurde jener Liṅga, der aus dem Leib einer Kuh hervorging, zum Vernichter der Sünden? Nahe bei Maṇināga, am südlichen Ufer der Narmadā, berichte mir kurz, o Brāhmaṇa, von der Entstehung Gopāreśvaras.

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• गो-देहात्: from a cow's body
• गो-देहात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• निःसृतम्: emerged
• निःसृतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः+सृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; लिङ्ग-विशेषण

• कस्मात्: from what cause/why
• कस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पाप-क्षयम्-करम्: causing the destruction of sins
• पाप-क्षयम्-करम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (determinative: 'causing destruction of sins')

• दक्षिणे: on the southern
• दक्षिणे: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कूल-विशेषण

• नर्मदा-कूले: on the Narmadā's bank
• नर्मदा-कूले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'on the bank of Narmadā')

• मणिनाग-समीपतः: near (the place called) Maṇināga
• मणिनाग-समीपतः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मणिनाग (प्रातिपदिक) + समीप (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'from/near')

• संक्षेपात्: briefly
• संक्षेपात्: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (idiomatically: 'briefly')

• कथ्यताम्: let (it) be told
• कथ्यताम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: 'let it be told')

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गोपारेश्वर-सम्भवम्: the origin (account) of Gopāreśvara
• गोपारेश्वर-सम्भवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपारेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'origin/story of Gopāreśvara')

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopāreśvara (near Maṇināga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully, asks Mārkaṇḍeya to narrate the brief origin of Gopāreśvara; behind them, the Narmadā flows and a serpent-emblem hints at Maṇināga.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Narmadā (Revā)
• Maṇināga
• Gopāreśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage lore (māhātmya) is preserved through inquiry and transmission—asking about a tīrtha reveals its dharmic meaning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gopāreśvara Tīrtha near Maṇināga on the southern bank of the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse requests a concise narration of the tīrtha’s origin.