Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अहल्यासरसि स्नानं पिंडदानं समाचरेत् । गौतमेशं च संपूज्य ब्रह्मलोकं स गच्छति

Transliteration

ahalyāsarasi snānaṃ piṃḍadānaṃ samācaret | gautameśaṃ ca saṃpūjya brahmalokaṃ sa gacchati

Translation

Man soll im See der Ahalyā baden und die Piṇḍa‑Gaben ordnungsgemäß darbringen; und nachdem man Gautameśa vollkommen verehrt hat, gelangt man in die Welt Brahmās.

Word by Word

• ahalyāsarasi: in Ahalyā’s lake
• ahalyāsarasi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahalyā (प्रातिपदिक) + saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण — ‘अहल्यायाः सरसि’ (in Ahalyā’s lake)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• piṃḍadānam: piṇḍa-offering
• piṃḍadānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म — ‘पिण्ड-दान’ (offering of funeral rice-balls)

• samācaret: should perform
• samācaret: Kriya (Injunctive action/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√car (धातु, आचरणे)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — ‘समाचरेत्’ (should perform)

• gautameśam: Gautameśa (Lord Gautama)
• gautameśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म — ‘गौतम-ईश’ (Lord of/associated with Gautama; a Śiva-liṅga)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction

• saṃpūjya: having worshipped
• saṃpūjya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-√pūj (धातु) ; ‘saṃpūjya’ (कृदन्त, ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त) — पूर्वकालक्रिया: ‘having duly worshipped’

• brahmalokam: Brahmaloka
• brahmalokam: Karma (Goal/गन्तव्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म/गत्यर्थकर्म

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• gacchati: goes, attains
• gacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ahalyā-saras; Gautameśa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathing in a lotus lake at dawn; nearby, a piṇḍa-offering scene with darbha and water-libations; in the background, a Śiva-liṅga temple of Gautameśa receiving flowers, bilva leaves, and lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Ahalyāsaras
• Piṇḍadāna
• Gautameśvara (Gautameśa)
• Brahmaloka
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snāna joined with ancestral duty and Śiva-bhakti leads to elevated posthumous destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ahalyāsaras and the shrine of Gautameśvara (Gautameśa) associated with it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing in Ahalyāsaras, performing piṇḍadāna, and complete worship (saṃpūjā) of Gautameśa/Gautameśvara.