Shloka 94

Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas

Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy

Devanagari script

सिद्धक्षेत्रं च विज्ञेयं गंगातीरसमाश्रितम् । इदं सत्यं द्विजातीनां साधूनां मानसेषु च

Transliteration

siddhakṣetraṃ ca vijñeyaṃ gaṃgātīrasamāśritam | idaṃ satyaṃ dvijātīnāṃ sādhūnāṃ mānaseṣu ca

Translation

ഗംഗാതീരത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന ഈ സ്ഥലം സിദ്ധക്ഷേത്രമെന്നു അറിയുക. ഈ സത്യം ദ്വിജന്മാരുടെയും സാദ്ധുക്കളുടെയും ഹൃദയങ്ങളിൽ ഉറച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सिद्धक्षेत्रम्: the accomplished/sacred field (holy place)
• सिद्धक्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (सिद्धं क्षेत्रम्)

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

• विज्ञेयम्: to be known
• विज्ञेयम्: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु) + वि + यत्-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/भाव्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘to be known’

• गंगातीरसमाश्रितम्: situated on the bank of the Ganga
• गंगातीरसमाश्रितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा + तीर + सम्-आ-√श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषभावः: ‘गङ्गातीरं समाश्रितम्’ (having resorted to the Ganga’s bank)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सत्यम्: truth; true (statement)
• सत्यम्: Vidheyapada (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• द्विजातीनाम्: of the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)
• द्विजातीनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• साधूनाम्: of the virtuous
• साधूनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• मानसेषु: in the minds
• मानसेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन

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

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (contextual speaker not provided in the input)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: गंगातीरसमाश्रितम् = गङ्गा-तीर-समाश्रितम्; मानसेषु च (no change).

Characters & Entities

• Ganga (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography of sacred Tīrthas?

It identifies a specific sacred site as a Siddha-kṣetra and anchors its sanctity in its location on the Gaṅgā’s bank, reflecting the Purāṇic theme that rivers—especially the Gaṅgā—consecrate surrounding tīrthas.

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti?

Rather than prescribing a ritual here, it emphasizes reverent recognition (vijñeyaṃ) of a holy place tied to the Gaṅgā, a common Bhakti-adjacent motif where faith-filled acknowledgement of sacred presence supports devotion and pilgrimage.

What is the ethical lesson from this dialogue?

It teaches epistemic humility and reliance on dhārmic consensus: the ‘truth’ is affirmed as residing in the hearts of the learned and the saintly, suggesting that one should honor the testimony of virtuous tradition regarding sacred places.