Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

एतत्तीर्थस्वरूपेण नित्यं वर्तावहे त्वतः । अत्र तीर्थद्वये स्नानादावां तुष्टे तवाधुना

Transliteration

etattīrthasvarūpeṇa nityaṃ vartāvahe tvataḥ | atra tīrthadvaye snānādāvāṃ tuṣṭe tavādhunā

Translation

„Hier weilen wir immerdar in der eigenen Gestalt dieses Tīrtha. Durch dein Bad in diesem Paar heiliger Wasser sind wir beide nun mit dir zufrieden.“

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• tīrtha-svarūpeṇa: by/with the nature of a sacred ford
• tīrtha-svarūpeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-भावे instrumental: 'in the form/nature of a tīrtha'

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• vartāvahe: we two abide/continue
• vartāvahe: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, द्विवचन; आत्मनेपद; √वृत्/वर्त्—'to exist/abide'

• tvataḥ: from you
• tvataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; ablative: 'from you'

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• tīrtha-dvaye: in the two sacred fords
• tīrtha-dvaye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; dvigu compound meaning 'in the pair of tīrthas'

• snānāt: from bathing
• snānāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; ablative: 'from bathing/after bathing'

• āvām: we two
• āvām: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विवचन; प्रथमा (1); 1st person pronoun 'we two'

• tuṣṭe: pleased (you two)
• tuṣṭe: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √tuṣ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) used predicatively: 'pleased'

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive: 'of you/your'

• adhunā: now
• adhunā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

Speaker

Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrthadvaya (Gāyatrī–Sarasvatī associated pair)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a serene confluence-like pair of waters, two radiant goddesses manifest subtly within the tīrtha, addressing Kaśyapa; the waters shimmer with mantra-light as the sage completes snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Sarasvatī
• Tīrthadvaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not merely water or place—it is living divine presence; proper snāna directly pleases the presiding deities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘twin tīrthas’ in Setu-kṣetra, presented as the embodied presence of Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrthadvaya is highlighted as the act that wins the goddesses’ satisfaction.