Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सीतासरसि वर्तंते महापातकनाशने । क्षेत्राण्यपि महार्हाणि काश्यादीनि दिवानिशम्

Transliteration

sītāsarasi vartaṃte mahāpātakanāśane | kṣetrāṇyapi mahārhāṇi kāśyādīni divāniśam

Translation

In Sītā-saras, dem Vernichter großer Sünden, weilen Tag und Nacht selbst die erhabensten heiligen Kṣetras wie Kāśī und andere.

Word by Word

• सीतासरसि: in Sītā-lake
• सीतासरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीता + सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—सीतायाः सरसि (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• वर्तन्ते: are present/abide
• वर्तन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• महापातकनाशने: in the destroyer of great sins (place)
• महापातकनाशने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + पातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—महापातकस्य नाशनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• क्षेत्राणि: holy places/fields
• क्षेत्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• महार्हाणि: highly venerable
• महार्हाणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महार्ह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन; समासः—महत् + अर्ह (कर्मधारयः)

• काश्यादीनि: beginning with Kāśī
• काश्यादीनि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काशी + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन; समासः—काशी-आदि (आदि-समासः)

• दिवानिशम्: day and night
• दिवानिशम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिवा + निशा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘day and night/always’

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sītā-saras

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/assembled sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sītā-saras shown as a luminous lake in which subtle, temple-like visions of Kāśī and other kṣetras appear—ghats, spires, and sacred fires shimmering within the water.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā-saras
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• kṣetras (holy regions)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely praised tīrtha can be spiritually equivalent to renowned kṣetras, making its visit highly efficacious for liberation-oriented purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sītā-saras, described as a mahāpātaka-destroying tīrtha that contains the merit of Kāśī and other kṣetras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is stated explicitly here; the context supports snāna and tīrtha-sevā as the means of removing great sins.