Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 108

Devanagari script

विष्णुपादोद्भवा गङ्गा दर्शनात्पापनाशनी । प्रस्रावे संस्थिता यस्मात्तस्माद्वन्द्या सदा बुधैः

Transliteration

viṣṇupādodbhavā gaṅgā darśanātpāpanāśanī | prasrāve saṃsthitā yasmāttasmādvandyā sadā budhaiḥ

Translation

Gaṅgā, aus Viṣṇus Füßen hervorgegangen, vernichtet Sünden schon durch ihren Anblick. Da sie im strömenden Ausfluss der Kuh verweilt, darum verneigen sich die Weisen stets vor ihr als vor dem Verehrungswürdigen.

Word by Word

• विष्णुपादोद्भवा: arisen from Viṣṇu’s foot
• विष्णुपादोद्भवा: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विष्णोः पादात् उद्भवा)

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

• दर्शनात्: from (her) sight; by seeing
• दर्शनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• पापनाशनी: destroyer of sins
• पापनाशनी: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य नाशनी)

• प्रस्रावे: in the outflow/stream
• प्रस्रावे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रस्राव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• संस्थिता: situated; established
• संस्थिता: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + √स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: from which; because of which
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वन्द्या: worthy of reverence
• वन्द्या: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वन्द् (धातु) → वन्द्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययार्थः ‘वन्दनीय’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• बुधैः: by the wise
• बुधैः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from nearby dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as Viṣṇu-pādodbhavā) / Go-padārtha-pavitratā motif

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍunandana/Bhārata)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Gaṅgā stream emanates from Viṣṇu’s feet while sages bow; in the foreground a serene cow stands, suggesting the sanctity of her flowing exudations as a parallel purifier.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is grounded in sacred origin: Gaṅgā’s sin-destroying power is invoked to sacralize and honor the cow’s purificatory substances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is invoked as the paradigmatic tīrtha; the verse integrates her holiness into Gau-māhātmya within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reverence (vandanā) toward the cow’s purificatory outflow is implied as a dharmic purity practice.