Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

न जाने भगवन्देशः कतमोऽयं वदाधुना । गौतमीतीरनिलयो दुराचाराभिधो ह्यहम्

Transliteration

na jāne bhagavandeśaḥ katamo'yaṃ vadādhunā | gautamītīranilayo durācārābhidho hyaham

Translation

«Ô Bienheureux, je ne sais quelle est cette contrée ; dis-le-moi à présent. Je demeure sur la rive de la Gautamī et l’on me nomme, en vérité, Durācāra.»

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (particle of negation)

• जाने: I know
• जाने: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• भगवन्: O Lord
• भगवन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• देशः: place, region
• देशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कतमः: which (one)
• कतमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-विशेषण (qualifying देशः)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वद: tell (me)
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• गौतमी-तीर-निलयः: dweller on the bank of the Gautamī
• गौतमी-तीर-निलयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतमी + तीर + निलय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासार्थः (गौतमीतीरे निलयः / गौतमीतीरस्य निलयः)

• दुराचार-अभिधः: named ‘Durācāra’
• दुराचार-अभिधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुराचार + अभिध (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (दुराचार इति अभिधा यस्य)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Durācāra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamī (Godāvarī) / Setukṣetra (implied current)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śrotṛs (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durācāra, still bowed, speaks with anxious humility—‘I do not know this land; I live by the Gautamī’—while Dattātreya listens with steady compassion.

Characters & Entities

• Dattātreya
• Gautamī (Godāvarī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual renewal begins with truthful self-disclosure and seeking guidance from the wise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra is the implied setting; the verse also mentions the Gautamī (Godāvarī) as Durācāra’s home region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse frames the inquiry that leads to instructions about tīrtha merit.