Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सर्वतीर्थानि तत्रैव ऊषरं तेन कथ्यते । ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेशाद्यैरिंद्राद्यैः परिसेवितम्

Transliteration

sarvatīrthāni tatraiva ūṣaraṃ tena kathyate | brahmaviṣṇumaheśādyairiṃdrādyaiḥ parisevitam

Translation

അവിടെ എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളും അവിടെയേ തന്നെ സമാഹിതമാണ്; അതിനാൽ അതിനെ ‘ഊഷര’ എന്നു വിളിക്കുന്നു. ബ്രഹ്മാ, വിഷ്ണു, മഹേശൻ എന്നിവരും ഇന്ദ്രാദി ദേവന്മാരും അവിടെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം സേവിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• sarva-tīrthāni: all sacred fords/places of pilgrimage
• sarva-tīrthāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्मधारयः: ‘सर्वाणि तीर्थानि’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• ūṣaram: Ūṣara (name/‘barren land’ as a designation)
• ūṣaram: Karma (Predicate/कर्मसंज्ञक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; here as predicate nominative with passive ‘kathyate’

• tena: therefore/by that
• tena: Hetu/Karana (Reason/Instrument/हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• kathyate: is called/said
• kathyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• brahma-viṣṇu-maheśa-ādyaiḥ: by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa and others
• brahma-viṣṇu-maheśa-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + maheśa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (copulative) with ‘ādyaiḥ’ = ‘and others’; agent in passive

• indra-ādyaiḥ: by Indra and others
• indra-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘इन्द्रः आदिः येषाम्’ (Indra and others)

• parisevitam: served/attended
• parisevitam: Kriya-visheshana (Predicative participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-sev (धातु) → parisevita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicate describing ‘(tat)’

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ūṣara (Dharmāraṇya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary tableau: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa with Indra and devas are shown reverently attending the kṣetra, implying its identity as the confluence of all tīrthas.

Characters & Entities

• Ūṣara
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Maheśa (Śiva)
• Indra
• Dharmāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supreme tīrtha is portrayed as a convergence of all sacred powers, validated by the gods’ own worship and presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ūṣara within Dharmāraṇya, presented as containing the essence of all tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the emphasis is on the site’s intrinsic sanctity and divine attendance.