Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

न जाने भगवन्देशः कतमोऽयं वदाधुना । गौतमीतीरनिलयो दुराचाराभिधो ह्यहम्

Transliteration

na jāne bhagavandeśaḥ katamo'yaṃ vadādhunā | gautamītīranilayo durācārābhidho hyaham

Translation

„O Gesegneter, ich weiß nicht, welches Land dies ist—sage es mir jetzt. Ich wohne am Ufer der Gautamī, und wahrlich nennt man mich Durācāra.“

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• जाने: I know
• जाने: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• भगवन्: O Lord
• भगवन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• देशः: place, region
• देशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कतमः: which (one)
• कतमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-विशेषण (qualifying देशः)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वद: tell (me)
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• गौतमी-तीर-निलयः: dweller on the bank of the Gautamī
• गौतमी-तीर-निलयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतमी + तीर + निलय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासार्थः (गौतमीतीरे निलयः / गौतमीतीरस्य निलयः)

• दुराचार-अभिधः: named ‘Durācāra’
• दुराचार-अभिधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुराचार + अभिध (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (दुराचार इति अभिधा यस्य)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Durācāra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamī (Godāvarī) / Setukṣetra (implied current)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śrotṛs (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durācāra, still bowed, speaks with anxious humility—‘I do not know this land; I live by the Gautamī’—while Dattātreya listens with steady compassion.

Characters & Entities

• Dattātreya
• Gautamī (Godāvarī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual renewal begins with truthful self-disclosure and seeking guidance from the wise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra is the implied setting; the verse also mentions the Gautamī (Godāvarī) as Durācāra’s home region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse frames the inquiry that leads to instructions about tīrtha merit.