Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । गोकर्णादहमागच्छन्क्वापि देशे विशांपते । जाते मध्याह्नसमये लब्ध वान्विमलं सरः

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | gokarṇādahamāgacchankvāpi deśe viśāṃpate | jāte madhyāhnasamaye labdha vānvimalaṃ saraḥ

Translation

गौतम बोले—हे प्रजापते! मैं गोकर्ण से लौट रहा था। किसी प्रदेश में, जब मध्याह्न का समय हुआ, तब मुझे एक निर्मल और स्वच्छ सरोवर मिला।

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• gokarṇāt: from Gokarṇa
• gokarṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gokarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• āgacchan: coming; while coming
• āgacchan: Karta (Participial subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'coming'

• kvāpi: somewhere
• kvāpi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय + निपात; 'somewhere'

• deśe: in a place
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• viśāṃpate: O lord of the people (O king)
• viśāṃpate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśāṃpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• jāte: when (it) had come about
• jāte: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु) → jāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग सप्तमी एकवचन; here locative absolute with samaye: 'when it had become'

• madhyāhna-samaye: at midday time
• madhyāhna-samaye: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhyāhna (प्रातिपदिक) + samaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मध्याह्नस्य समयः), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; with jāte = locative absolute

• labdha-vān: obtained; found
• labdha-vān: Kriya (Main verbal idea/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु) → labdha (कृदन्त) + -vat (तद्धित)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) + वत्-प्रत्यय; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; periphrastic perfect sense 'I obtained'

• vimalam: clear; pure
• vimalam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifies saraḥ

• saraḥ: a lake; pond
• saraḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; object of labdha-vān

Speaker

Gautama

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Gokarṇa
• Vimala Saraḥ (pure lake)
• King (Viśāṃpati)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage opens the seeker into a sacred landscape where purity (vimala) appears as both place and spiritual state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gokarṇa is the anchor-point; the verse also introduces a ‘vimala saraḥ’ encountered on the return route.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the scene prepares for purification actions like bathing in the following verses.