Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

भूतीश्वराह्वयं तीर्थं गङ्गावाहमतः परम् । गौतमेश्वरतीर्थं च दशाश्वमेधिकं तथा

Transliteration

bhūtīśvarāhvayaṃ tīrthaṃ gaṅgāvāhamataḥ param | gautameśvaratīrthaṃ ca daśāśvamedhikaṃ tathā

Translation

Le tīrtha appelé Bhūtīśvara ; puis, au-delà, Gaṅgāvāha ; aussi le tīrtha de Gautameśvara ; et de même le lieu fameux pour le mérite de dix sacrifices Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• भूतीश्वराह्वयम्: named ‘Bhūtīśvara’
• भूतीश्वराह्वयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूति (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आह्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भूतीश्वर-नामकं)

• तीर्थम्: sacred ford
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• गङ्गावाहम्: Gaṅgāvāha (name of a tīrtha)
• गङ्गावाहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + वाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः वाहः/वाहनम्; गङ्गा-प्रवाह-सम्बद्धम्)

• अतः: thereafter; then
• अतः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/अनन्तरार्थ (adverb: ‘thereafter/from here’)

• परम्: next; further
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; (विशेषण/अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः)

• गौतमेश्वरतीर्थम्: the Gautameśvara tīrtha
• गौतमेश्वरतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गौतमेश्वर-सम्बद्धं तीर्थम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दशाश्वमेधिकम्: connected with ten Aśvamedha sacrifices
• दशाश्वमेधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + अश्वमेधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगुः (दश अश्वमेधाः यस्मिन्/सम्बद्धम्)

• तथा: also; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक/प्रकारार्थक (adverb: ‘also/likewise’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Āvantya/Revā-māhātmya style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhūtīśvara; Gaṅgāvāha; Gautameśvara; Daśāśvamedhika

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A powerful riverbank shrine sequence: Bhūtīśvara liṅga with protective, earthy aura; a dramatic river bend labeled Gaṅgāvāha with Gaṅgā iconography subtly superimposed; Gautameśvara shrine with sage Gautama presence; a ceremonial marker proclaiming ‘Daśāśvamedhika’ with horse-sacrifice symbolism transformed into tīrtha worship.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtīśvara Tīrtha
• Gaṅgāvāha
• Gautameśvara Tīrtha
• Daśāśvamedhika (ten-Aśvamedha merit site)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage merit is equated with great Vedic sacrifices, showing the Purāṇic path of accessible dharma in the age of decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhūtīśvara-tīrtha, Gaṅgāvāha, Gautameśvara-tīrtha, and Daśāśvamedhika (a merit-equals-ten-Aśvamedhas site).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse highlights comparative merit (yajña-phala equivalence).