Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

गुहेन निर्मितः कूपो गंगा तत्र तलोद्भवा । माघस्य च चतुर्दश्यां कृष्णायां पितृतर्पणम्

Transliteration

guhena nirmitaḥ kūpo gaṃgā tatra talodbhavā | māghasya ca caturdaśyāṃ kṛṣṇāyāṃ pitṛtarpaṇam

Translation

Dort ließ Guha (Skanda) einen Brunnen anlegen, und aus seiner Tiefe stieg die Gaṅgā empor. Und am vierzehnten Mondtag der dunklen Monatshälfte im Māgha soll man dort das tarpaṇa vollziehen: die Wasserlibation für die Pitṛ (Ahnen).

Word by Word

• गुहेन: by Guha (Skanda)
• गुहेन: Karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह (प्रातिपदिक; कुमार/स्कन्द-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निर्मितः: was made/constructed
• निर्मितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्मा (धातु; नि + √मा) (कृदन्त: निर्मित)
• Form: कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/भूतकर्मणि), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग

• कूपः: a well
• कूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• तल-उद्भवा: arising from the bottom (of the well)
• तल-उद्भवा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तल-उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; तल + उद्भव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (गङ्गा-विशेषण)

• माघस्य: of (the month) Māgha
• माघस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ (प्रातिपदिक; मास-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक; तिथि-नाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृष्णायाम्: in the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa)
• कृष्णायाम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक; पक्ष-विशेष)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (चतुर्दशी-विशेषण)

• पितृतर्पणम्: offering of libations to the ancestors (pitṛ-tarpaṇa)
• पितृतर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ-तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक; पितृ + तर्पण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (context: act/rite)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guha-kūpa / Gaṅgā-talodbhava-kūpa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda strikes/marks the ground and a well is formed; from its depths Gaṅgā rises as a luminous stream; devotees prepare offerings for pitṛ-tarpaṇa under a Māgha night sky signifying kṛṣṇa caturdaśī.

Characters & Entities

• Guha (Skanda)
• Kūpa (well)
• Gaṅgā
• Māgha
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa Caturdaśī
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes complete when it includes gratitude to one’s ancestors; tīrthas sanctify both devotion to God and duty to Pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Guha-made well from which Gaṅgā manifests—presented as a powerful tīrtha within the Stambheśvara precinct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pitṛ-tarpaṇa on Māgha kṛṣṇa caturdaśī at this Gaṅgā-associated well/tīrtha.