Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

गौतम्युवाच । पश्यैतानि सुतीर्थानि गंगाद्याः सरितोऽमलाः । सागरा गिरयः पुण्या गयात्रितयमेव च

Transliteration

gautamyuvāca | paśyaitāni sutīrthāni gaṃgādyāḥ sarito'malāḥ | sāgarā girayaḥ puṇyā gayātritayameva ca

Translation

ಗೌತಮಿ ಹೇಳಿದರು—“ನೋಡು, ಇವು ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ತೀರ್ಥಗಳು; ಗಂಗಾದಿ ನಿರ್ಮಲ ನದಿಗಳು, ಸಾಗರಗಳು, ಪುಣ್ಯ ಪರ್ವತಗಳು, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ತ್ರಿವಿಧ ಗಯೆಯೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಇದೆ.”

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• paśya: see!
• paśya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• su-tīrthāni: excellent sacred fords/holy places
• su-tīrthāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (descriptive: ‘good tīrthas’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• gaṃgā-ādyāḥ: beginning with the Gaṅgā
• gaṃgā-ādyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (gaṃgā as first among: ‘beginning with Gaṅgā’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन; saritaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• saritaḥ: rivers
• saritaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

• amalāḥ: pure, spotless
• amalāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन; saritaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• sāgarāḥ: oceans
• sāgarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

• girayaḥ: mountains
• girayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन

• puṇyāḥ: holy
• puṇyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom.), बहुवचन; girayaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• gayā-tritayam: the triad of Gayā (three Gayā-related holy spots)
• gayā-tritayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक) + tritaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘the triad of Gayā’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic/limiting particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Gautamī (Godāvarī)

Characters & Entities

• Gautamī (Godāvarī)
• Gaṅgā
• Gayā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All major tīrthas—rivers, oceans, mountains, and famed pilgrimage centers—are sources of purification and merit when approached with reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A collective vision of pan-Indian tīrthas is presented, highlighting Gaṅgā and the Gayā-traya within the Dvārakā-māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse functions as a darśana of tīrthas, implying pilgrimage, sacred bathing, and veneration.