Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ओङ्कारजलधिं यावदुवाच भृगुनन्दनः । तीर्थसङ्गमभेदान्वै धर्मपुत्राय पृच्छते

Transliteration

oṅkārajaladhiṃ yāvaduvāca bhṛgunandanaḥ | tīrthasaṅgamabhedānvai dharmaputrāya pṛcchate

Translation

Jusqu’au grand confluent nommé Oṃkāra-jaladhi, le descendant de Bhṛgu parla ; puis il interrogea le fils de Dharma sur les diverses sortes de tīrthas et de confluences sacrées.

Word by Word

• ओङ्कार-जलधिम्: the Oṅkāra-ocean (a place named Oṅkārajaladhi)
• ओङ्कार-जलधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओङ्कार (प्रातिपदिक) + जलधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'ओङ्कारस्य जलधिः'

• यावत्: up to, as far as
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-अर्थे (until/as far as)

• उवाच: said, spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भृगु-नन्दनः: son of Bhṛgu
• भृगु-नन्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृगु (प्रातिपदिक) + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'भृगोः नन्दनः'

• तीर्थ-सङ्गम-भेदान्: the distinctions of sacred confluences
• तीर्थ-सङ्गम-भेदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'तीर्थानां सङ्गमानां भेदाः' (varieties/distinctions of confluences of tīrthas)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• धर्म-पुत्राय: to Dharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्म-पुत्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'धर्मस्य पुत्रः'

• पृच्छते: asks
• पृच्छते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (narrating); internal reference to a Bhārgava sage addressing Dharmaputra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Oṃkāra-jaladhi / Oṃkāra tīrtha

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dharma-putra (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage of Bhṛgu’s lineage gestures toward a broad, sacred confluence named Oṃkāra-jaladhi; opposite sits Dharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira), attentive, with a retinue of sages; the river forms an ‘Oṃ’ like curve around an island-temple silhouette.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra-jaladhi
• Bhṛgu
• Dharmaputra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided by discernment: tīrthas and saṅgamas have distinct spiritual identities and merits worth learning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Oṃkāra-jaladhi (associated with Oṃkāreśvara on the Narmadā) is highlighted as a pivotal point in the tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse signals an inquiry that leads into a systematic listing (tīrthāvali).