Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

स तारयति पूर्वजान्दश पूर्वान्दशापरान् । द्वयोश्च संगमं दृष्ट्वा श्रुत्वा वा सागरध्वनिम्

Transliteration

sa tārayati pūrvajāndaśa pūrvāndaśāparān | dvayośca saṃgamaṃ dṛṣṭvā śrutvā vā sāgaradhvanim

Translation

Er erlöst zehn Generationen der Vorfahren und zehn Generationen der Nachkommenden. Durch das Schauen des Zusammenflusses der beiden Wasser, oder selbst durch das Hören des Brausens des Ozeans, entsteht solches Verdienst.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तारयति: saves / delivers
• तारयति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative sense: ‘causes to cross/saves’)

• पूर्वजान्: forefathers/ancestors
• पूर्वजान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; यहाँ ‘दश’ (ten) — पूर्वजान् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पूर्वान्: the earlier (ones)
• पूर्वान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; ‘दश’ इत्यस्य विशेष्य (understood: जनान्/पितॄन्)

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या; पूर्वान् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपरान्: the later (ones)
• अपरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; ‘दश’ इत्यस्य विशेष्य (understood: जनान्)

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या; अपरान् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• द्वयोः: of the two
• द्वयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन; ‘of the two’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• संगमम्: confluence
• संगमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having seen’

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having heard’

• वा: or
• वा: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पबोधक अव्यय (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• सागरध्वनिम्: the sound of the ocean
• सागरध्वनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर + ध्वनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सागरस्य ध्वनिः)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvaya-saṅgama (unnamed confluence)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a dramatic confluence, two differently colored streams meet and surge toward the sea; a pilgrim stands listening to the distant ocean roar, offering water with cupped hands, while faint ancestral silhouettes rise upward, symbolizing deliverance across generations.

Characters & Entities

• Sāgara (Ocean)
• Saṅgama (confluence)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is so potent that even darśana (seeing) and śravaṇa (hearing) at a holy confluence can uplift one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A saṅgama (confluence of two waters) and the sāgara (ocean-shore) context are praised, though the exact confluence is not named in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana of a confluence and/or śravaṇa of the ocean’s roar as devotional encounter with a tīrtha.