Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

प्राचीं माधवमास्तूय स गच्छेत्परमां गतिम् । गंडकीपुण्यतीर्थे हि स्नानं यः कुरुते नरः

Transliteration

prācīṃ mādhavamāstūya sa gacchetparamāṃ gatim | gaṃḍakīpuṇyatīrthe hi snānaṃ yaḥ kurute naraḥ

Translation

പ്രാചിയിൽ മാധവനെ സ്തുതിച്ച് അവൻ പരമഗതി പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; ഗണ്ഡകീ പുണ്യതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ ഈ മഹാഫലത്തിന്റെ ഭാഗ്യവാൻ ആകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• प्राचीम्: Prācī (river/stream)
• प्राचीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; (प्राची-सरस्वतीम् इत्यर्थे)

• माधवम्: Mādhava (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• माधवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आस्तूय: having praised
• आस्तूय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√स्तु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive), अव्ययभावः; ‘स्तुत्वा’ (=having praised)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• गच्छेत्: should go/attain
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गतिम् इति विशेषणम्

• गतिम्: goal/state
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• गंडकीपुण्यतीर्थे: at the sacred ford of the Gaṇḍakī
• गंडकीपुण्यतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंडकी + पुण्य + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘गंडक्याः पुण्यं तीर्थम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बहुपद)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• नरः: a man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; यः इत्यस्य समानाधिकरणम्

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṇḍakī Puṇya-tīrtha (with Prācī Mādhava-stuti)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands on the Gaṇḍakī bank, hands raised in Mādhava-stuti; the river carries dark Śālagrāma stones; a small Viṣṇu shrine faces east (Prācī).

Characters & Entities

• Mādhava (Viṣṇu)
• Prācī
• Gaṇḍakī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional praise (stuti) joined with tīrtha-bathing is presented as a direct means to the highest spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṇḍakī puṇya-tīrtha, along with the sacred locale named Prācī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stuti of Mādhava and snāna at the Gaṇḍakī tīrtha.