Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

सिंहराशिं गते जीवे यत्स्याद्गोदावरीफलम् । तद्द्वादशगुणं स्कन्द कुम्भेश्वरसमीपतः

Transliteration

siṃharāśiṃ gate jīve yatsyādgodāvarīphalam | taddvādaśaguṇaṃ skanda kumbheśvarasamīpataḥ

Translation

ഗുരു സിംഹരാശിയിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കുമ്പോൾ ഗോദാവരിയിൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യഫലം—ഹേ സ്കന്ദാ! കുംഭേശ്വരസന്നിധിയിൽ അതേ പന്ത്രണ്ടിരട്ടിയാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• siṃharāśim: the Leo sign (Siṃha-rāśi)
• siṃharāśim: Adhikarana (Locative sense via गत्यर्थे द्वितीया/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siṃha-rāśi (प्रातिपदिक; सिंह + राशि)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: सिंहस्य राशि: = सिंह-राशिः)

• gate: when (it is) gone/entered
• gate: Adhikarana (condition/time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular, Masculine/Neuter agreement with implied time/condition; ‘when (it has) gone/entered’

• jīve: in Jupiter (when Jupiter is...)
• jīve: Adhikarana (location/condition: ‘in Jupiter’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• yat: whatever/that which
• yat: Karta (of syāt)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; relative pronoun

• syāt: may be / would be
• syāt: Kriya (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• godāvarīphalam: the fruit/result of (the rite at) Godāvarī
• godāvarīphalam: Karta (predicate-noun with syāt)
• Type: Noun
• Root: godāvarī-phala (प्रातिपदिक; गोदावरी + फल)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: गोदावर्याः फलम्)

• tat: that (same result)
• tat: Karta (of implied ‘(bhavati)’ with dvādaśaguṇam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• dvādaśaguṇam: twelvefold (increased)
• dvādaśaguṇam: Karta-predicate (qualifier of tat)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa-guṇa (प्रातिपदिक; द्वादश + गुण)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास (द्वादश गुणाः यस्य = ‘twelvefold’) used adjectivally

• skanda: O Skanda
• skanda: Sambodhana (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• kumbheśvarasamīpataḥ: from/at the vicinity of Kumbheśvara (i.e., near Kumbheśvara)
• kumbheśvarasamīpataḥ: Adhikarana (place: ‘near’)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kumbheśvara-samīpa (प्रातिपदिक; कुम्भेश्वर + समीप)
• Form: Ablative adverb (तसिल्-प्रत्यय: -तः) used as avyaya; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: कुम्भेश्वरस्य समीपः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; direct address “Skanda” suggests a quoted line within the narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā–Kumbheśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda is directly addressed ("skanda") as interlocutor or witness to the statement

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the southern bank of the Narmadā, Kumbheśvara’s liṅga shrine glows as Jupiter’s auspicious influence is symbolized in the sky; pilgrims bathe and offer flowers, while a subtle motif contrasts Godāvarī’s fame with Revā’s superior fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Jupiter (Jīva)
• Siṃha-rāśi (Leo)
• Godāvarī
• Kumbheśvara
• Skanda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography teaches that some sites magnify merit greatly, especially when visited in auspicious times.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kumbheśvara tīrtha near the Revā/Narmadā, declared superior in merit to Godāvarī in the stated time.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage/ritual bathing and worship near Kumbheśvara during the Jupiter-in-Leo period is implied as highly meritorious.