Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

निवसामि कृतस्थानो गंगासागरसंगमे । तत्र दर्शेतर्पयामि सदैव च पितॄनहम्

Transliteration

nivasāmi kṛtasthāno gaṃgāsāgarasaṃgame | tatra darśetarpayāmi sadaiva ca pitṝnaham

Translation

J’y demeure, ayant établi ma résidence au confluent du Gaṅgā et de l’océan. Là, aux jours de Darśa, j’offre sans cesse le tarpaṇa (libation d’eau) aux Pitṛs, les ancêtres.

Word by Word

• निवसामि: I reside
• निवसामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कृतस्थानः: having made (that) place (one’s abode); settled
• कृतस्थानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ√कृ, क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, समासः—तत्पुरुष (कृतं स्थानं यस्य/कृतस्थानः)

• गङ्गासागर-सङ्गमे: at the confluence of the Ganga and the ocean
• गङ्गासागर-सङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः सागरस्य च सङ्गमः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• दर्शे: on the Darśa (new-moon day)
• दर्शे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन (दर्शे = दर्श-शब्दस्य सप्तमी एकवचन)

• तर्पयामि: I satisfy/offer libations to
• तर्पयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप्/तर्प् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative) प्रयोगः—तर्पयति

• सदैव: always
• सदैव: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा + एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

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

• पितॄन्: the ancestors (manes)
• पितॄन्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Devaśarmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-sāgara-saṅgama

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience within Skanda Purāṇa’s frame (traditionally a sage/assembly); immediate narrative is first-person report

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-bound householder-sage seated at the Gaṅgā-ocean confluence at dawn of amāvāsyā, offering water-libations to ancestors; waves meet river-current; distant pilgrims and a simple kuśa-grass setup.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Sāgara (Ocean)
• Gaṅgāsāgara
• Pitṛs
• Darśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving the ancestors through regular tarpaṇa at a powerful tīrtha upholds family-dharma and brings unseen spiritual support.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgāsāgara-saṅgama—the sacred meeting of the Gaṅgā and the ocean.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pitṛ-tarpaṇa performed on Darśa (new-moon) days at the tīrtha.