Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

आमन्त्र्य गौतमीं देवीं स्थितानि पुरतस्ततः । सर्वेषां शृण्वतां विप्रा गौतमी खिन्नमानसा । तप्ता दुर्जनसंसर्गान्नारदं दुःखिताऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

āmantrya gautamīṃ devīṃ sthitāni puratastataḥ | sarveṣāṃ śṛṇvatāṃ viprā gautamī khinnamānasā | taptā durjanasaṃsargānnāradaṃ duḥkhitā'bravīt

Translation

女神ガウタミーに暇乞いして、彼らはその御前に立った。すると諸ブラーフマナが皆聞き入る中、悪しき者との交わりに苦しみ心憂えたガウタミーは、悲しげにナーラダへ語りかけた。

Word by Word

• āmantrya: having addressed
• āmantrya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-mantr (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having addressed/invited’

• gautamīm: Gautamī
• gautamīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; gautamīm इत्यस्य विशेषण/समनाधिकरण

• sthitāni: standing, stationed
• sthitāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √sthā)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन; (अत्र) ‘(they) stood/remaining’

• purataḥ: in front
• purataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘in front’)

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-प्रभव-अव्यय (adverb: ‘then/thereupon/from there’)

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

• śṛṇvatām: of those who were listening
• śṛṇvatām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘of (those) listening’

• viprā: O brāhmaṇa (sage)
• viprā: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे/सम्बोधन-प्राय (addressing Nārada)

• gautamī: Gautamī
• gautamī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन

• khinna-mānasā: with a distressed mind
• khinna-mānasā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khinna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṣid/khid) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (descriptive: ‘distressed mind’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण

• taptā: afflicted, tormented
• taptā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √tap)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण

• durjana-saṃsargāt: from contact with bad people
• durjana-saṃsargāt: Apadana (Source/Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durjana (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘association with wicked people’), पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन

• nāradaṃ: to Nārada
• nāradaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• duḥkhitā: sorrowful
• duḥkhitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √khaṇḍ/duḥkha as base)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle/adj.), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण

• abravīt: said, spoke
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Gautamī (deified river-goddess) speaking to Devarṣi Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamī (Godāvarī)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

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.

Characters & Entities

• Gautamī (river-goddess/Godāvarī)
• Devarṣi Nārada
• Vipras (brāhmaṇas)
• Durjana (wicked persons)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sacred spaces suffer when polluted by adharmic company; avoiding durjana-saṅga is essential for personal and communal holiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautamī—the Godāvarī revered as a goddess and tīrtha—is the central sacred presence in this passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is given; the implied discipline is ethical—guarding tīrthas through right conduct and avoiding harmful associations.