Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

सदा महानदीतोयक्षालिता मुक्तिदा नृणाम् । गंगायमुनयोर्मध्ये संनिविष्टा सरस्वती

Transliteration

sadā mahānadītoyakṣālitā muktidā nṛṇām | gaṃgāyamunayormadhye saṃniviṣṭā sarasvatī

Translation

Toujours lavée par les eaux du grand fleuve, elle accorde la délivrance aux hommes : Sarasvatī, établie entre la Gaṅgā et la Yamunā.

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb of time

• महानदी-तोय-क्षालिता: washed/cleansed by the waters of the great river
• महानदी-तोय-क्षालिता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महानदी (प्रातिपदिक) + तोय (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षालित (कृदन्त, √क्षल् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) — feminine nominative singular agreeing with ‘सरस्वती’

• मुक्ति-दा: granting liberation
• मुक्ति-दा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक; दा-प्रत्यय/दातृ-अर्थ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘मुक्तिं ददाति’ इति अर्थे — feminine nominative singular (giver of liberation)

• नृणाम्: of men/people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन — masculine genitive plural

• गङ्गा-यमुनयोः: of the Ganga and Yamuna
• गङ्गा-यमुनयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन — feminine genitive dual (of Ganga and Yamuna)

• मध्ये: in the middle/between
• मध्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — neuter locative singular

• संनिविष्टा: situated
• संनिविष्टा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + नि + √विश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त — feminine nominative singular (situated/placed)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — feminine nominative singular

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Triveṇī (with Sarasvatī between Gaṅgā and Yamunā)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous confluence landscape: Gaṅgā and Yamunā visible as two streams, with Sarasvatī suggested as a subtle, shimmering undercurrent; pilgrims perform snāna and offer arghya, while the river-goddess presence is hinted through light and lotuses.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Gaṅgā
• Yamunā
• Mahānadī (great river)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma identifies liberating power in sacred river-presence; contact with such waters is framed as a direct aid to mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī situated between the Gaṅgā and Yamunā—evoking the Triveṇī sacred geography within the Purāṇic imagination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse highlights the muktidā (liberation-giving) nature of the river, implying snāna and reverent approach.