Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

महीनाम नदी च पृथिव्यां यानिकानिचित् । तीर्थानि तेषां सलिलसंभवं तज्जलं विदुः

Transliteration

mahīnāma nadī ca pṛthivyāṃ yānikānicit | tīrthāni teṣāṃ salilasaṃbhavaṃ tajjalaṃ viduḥ

Translation

Auf Erden, welche Tīrthas (heilige Furten) es auch geben mag—und auch der Fluss namens Mahī—wisset: ihr Wasser entspringt eben jenem heiligen Ausfluss.

Word by Word

• महीनाम: (the river) Mahīnāma
• महीनाम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीनाम् (प्रातिपदिक: महीनाम्/नदी-नाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नदी-विशेष-नाम (proper name)

• नदी: river
• नदी: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यानि: which (things)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• कानि: some
• कानि: Karta (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; प्रश्न/अनिश्चितार्थक-प्रयोग (some/any)

• चित्: ever, some
• चित्: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चितार्थक-निपात (enclitic particle: 'some/any')

• तीर्थानि: sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• सलिलसंभवम्: water-born, originating from water
• सलिलसंभवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक) + संभव (सम्+भू धातु, भाव-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: सलिलात् संभवः (arising from water)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Determiner/निर्देशक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देशक (that)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• विदुः: know, consider
• विदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; धातु: विद् (to know)

Speaker

Saṃvarta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahī-nadī (and all earthly tīrthas as derivative)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred vision: many tīrthas and rivers across Bhārata subtly connected by a single luminous stream-source; the Mahī is highlighted as a principal channel of that sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Mahī River
• Tīrthas (holy fords)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are spiritually interconnected; sacred waters are treated as a unified divine principle manifesting in many places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahī River and the broader tīrtha tradition linked to the Mahī–Sāgara Saṅgama narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse asserts the sanctity and shared origin of tīrtha waters.