Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

प्रत्यग्भागे गोप्रताराद्योजनत्रयसंमिते । घर्घरांबुतरंगिण्या सरयूः संगता यतः

Transliteration

pratyagbhāge gopratārādyojanatrayasaṃmite | ghargharāṃbutaraṃgiṇyā sarayūḥ saṃgatā yataḥ

Translation

Im Westen, in einer Entfernung von drei Yojanas von Gopratāra, liegt der Ort, wo die Sarayū mit der Ghargharā zusammenfließt, deren Wasser in rollenden Wogen brandet.

Word by Word

• pratyagbhāge: in the western part
• pratyagbhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyag-bhāga (प्रातिपदिक; प्रत्यक् + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (प्रत्यक्=पश्चिम + भाग=भागः)

• gopratārāt: from Gopratāra
• gopratārāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopratāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• yojanatrayasaṃmite: measured as three yojanas
• yojanatrayasaṃmite: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yojana-traya-saṃmita (प्रातिपदिक; योजन + त्रय + संमित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (स्थान/भागे इत्यस्य)

• ghargharāṃbutaraṃgiṇyā: by/with the wave-filled waters of (the river) Ghargharā
• ghargharāṃbutaraṃgiṇyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghargharā-ambu-taraṃgiṇī (प्रातिपदिक; घर्घरा + अम्बु + तरङ्गिणी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; साधन/सहकारक-प्रयोगः

• sarayūḥ: Sarayū (river)
• sarayūḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarayū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• saṃgatā: has met/has joined
• saṃgatā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√gam (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः—‘संयुक्ता/मिलिता’

• yataḥ: where (at which place)
• yataḥ: Sambandha (Relational/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय/संबन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative adverb: ‘where/from where’)

Speaker

Agastya (contextual narration within the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarayū–Ghargharā Saṅgama (near Gopratāra)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cartographic-visual scene: a pilgrim points westward from a landmark ghat (Gopratāra) toward a distant meeting of two rivers; the Ghargharā is shown as churning, wave-crested water joining the calmer Sarayū.

Characters & Entities

• Gopratāra
• Ghargharā (river)
• Sarayū (river)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is itself a form of dharma: knowing and approaching holy confluences (saṅgamas) prepares one for purifying rites and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The saṅgama where the Sarayū meets the Ghargharā, located west of Gopratāra in the Ayodhyā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here—this verse primarily gives the tīrtha’s location, setting up the saṅgama-snānā (confluence bathing) described in later verses.