Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

सरयूतीरमासाद्य दिव्या परमशोभना । अमरावतीनिभा प्रायः श्रिता बहुतपोधनैः

Transliteration

sarayūtīramāsādya divyā paramaśobhanā | amarāvatīnibhā prāyaḥ śritā bahutapodhanaiḥ

Translation

Am Ufer der Sarayū angekommen, findet man (Ayodhyā) göttlich und überaus schön, fast Amarāvatī gleich; sie wird von vielen großen Asketen, reich an Tapas, aufgesucht und bewohnt.

Word by Word

• सरयूतीरम्: the bank of the Sarayu
• सरयूतीरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरयू-तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सरय्वाः तीरम्)

• आसाद्य: having reached
• आसाद्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund)

• दिव्या: divine
• दिव्या: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• परमशोभना: supremely beautiful
• परमशोभना: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (परमा शोभना)

• अमरावतीनिभा: resembling Amaravati
• अमरावतीनिभा: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमरावती-निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अमरावत्याः निभा/सदृशी)

• प्रायः: mostly / generally
• प्रायः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: generally/mostly)

• श्रिता: inhabited / resorted to
• श्रिता: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; श्रि धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle)

• बहुतपोधनैः: by many ascetic sages
• बहुतपोधनैः: Karana/Agent-association (Instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु-तपोधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचनम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (बहवः तपोधनाः)

Speaker

Narrator/reciter within Ayodhyāmāhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarayū-tīra (Ayodhyā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim party reaches the Sarayū’s luminous bank; beyond, Ayodhyā gleams like a celestial city, with saffron-clad ascetics seated under trees and near small āśramas, the river reflecting the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Sarayū
• Ayodhyā
• Amarāvatī
• Tapodhanas (ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is recognized by divine beauty and the presence of tapasvins whose lives sanctify the landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā and the Sarayū riverbank, presented as a heavenly-like sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it highlights pilgrimage approach—reaching the Sarayū bank as entry into Ayodhyā’s sanctity.