Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15
आमन्त्र्य गौतमीं देवीं स्थितानि पुरतस्ततः । सर्वेषां शृण्वतां विप्रा गौतमी खिन्नमानसा । तप्ता दुर्जनसंसर्गान्नारदं दुःखिताऽब्रवीत्
āmantrya gautamīṃ devīṃ sthitāni puratastataḥ | sarveṣāṃ śṛṇvatāṃ viprā gautamī khinnamānasā | taptā durjanasaṃsargānnāradaṃ duḥkhitā'bravīt
Après avoir pris congé de la déesse Gautamī, ils se tinrent devant elle. Alors, tandis que tous les brāhmanes écoutaient, Gautamī—l’esprit accablé, meurtrie par la fréquentation des méchants—parla tristement à Nārada.
Gautamī (deified river-goddess) speaking to Devarṣi Nārada
Tirtha: Gautamī (Godāvarī)
Type: river
Scene: Gautamī-devī, personified as a river-goddess, stands before assembled brāhmaṇas; Nārada listens as she speaks with a weary, sorrowful expression, suggesting the burden of cleansing the world.
FAQs
Even sacred spaces suffer when polluted by adharmic company; avoiding durjana-saṅga is essential for personal and communal holiness.
Gautamī—the Godāvarī revered as a goddess and tīrtha—is the central sacred presence in this passage.
No explicit rite is given; the implied discipline is ethical—guarding tīrthas through right conduct and avoiding harmful associations.