Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

त्वयावतारिता ब्रह्मन्नदी या ब्रह्मणः सुता । तथा कृतं च तत्रैव गंगा वतरणं क्षितौ

Transliteration

tvayāvatāritā brahmannadī yā brahmaṇaḥ sutā | tathā kṛtaṃ ca tatraiva gaṃgā vataraṇaṃ kṣitau

Translation

“ഹേ ബ്രാഹ്മണാ! ബ്രഹ്മാവിന്റെ പുത്രിയായ ആ നദിയെ നിങ്ങൾ അവതരിപ്പിച്ചു; അതുപോലെ അവിടെയേ ഗംഗയെയും ഭൂമിയിലേക്കു ഇറക്കിച്ചു.”

Word by Word

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent expressed instrumentally)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचनम् (Pronoun, Instrumental, Singular)

• अवतारिता: was caused to descend / brought down
• अवतारिता: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + तॄ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin / O revered one
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• नदी: the river
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• या: which
• या: Anvaya-sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; relative pronoun)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (सम्बन्ध), एकवचनम् (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• सुता: daughter
• सुता: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• तथा: so, likewise
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकार/अनुकरणवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (indeclinable adverb: 'thus/so')

• कृतम्: done, accomplished
• कृतम्: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; भावे/कर्मणि (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्ययम् (particle of emphasis)

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• अवतरणम्: descent
• अवतरणम्: Kriyā-phala (Event/act)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव + तॄ (धातु) → अवतरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; भाववाचक (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; action-noun)

• क्षितौ: on the earth
• क्षितौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरण), एकवचनम् (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

Speaker

Sages (Munis) addressing Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā; Brahmā-sutā river (contextually Sarasvatī)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages; here sages speak to Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages acclaim a venerable brāhmaṇa/rishi credited with bringing down a Brahmā-born river and facilitating Gaṅgā’s descent; imagined as celestial waters streaming from above into earthly landscape, with devas witnessing.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brahmā
• Sarasvatī
• Gaṅgā
• Earth (Kṣiti)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine rivers are treated as sacred persons; their appearance on earth is tied to dharmic agency and cosmic purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to places sanctified by the descent/presence of Sarasvatī and Gaṅgā, within the Dharmāraṇya narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it recalls famed avataraṇa events that ground tīrtha sanctity.