Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

गोदणीयाभिधे ग्रामे गोत्रौ द्वौ तत्र संस्थितौ । वत्सगोत्रं प्रथमकं भारद्वाजं द्वितीयकम्

Transliteration

godaṇīyābhidhe grāme gotrau dvau tatra saṃsthitau | vatsagotraṃ prathamakaṃ bhāradvājaṃ dvitīyakam

Translation

‘ഗോദണീയാ’ എന്ന ഗ്രാമത്തിൽ രണ്ട് ഗോത്രങ്ങൾ സ്ഥാപിതമാണ്—ഒന്നാമത് വത്സഗോത്രം, രണ്ടാമത് ഭാരദ്വാജഗോത്രം.

Word by Word

• गोदणीयाभिधे: in (the place) called Godaṇīya
• गोदणीयाभिधे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोदणीय + अभिध (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गोदणीय इति अभिधीयते यस्मिन्)

• ग्रामे: in the village
• ग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गोत्रौ: two gotras
• गोत्रौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• द्वौ: two
• द्वौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• संस्थितौ: were situated/established
• संस्थितौ: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; ‘situated/established’ (predicate of गोत्रौ)

• वत्सगोत्रम्: Vatsa-gotra
• वत्सगोत्रम्: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स + गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वत्सस्य गोत्रम्)

• प्रथमकम्: the first
• प्रथमकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथमक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण

• भारद्वाजम्: Bhāradvāja (gotra)
• भारद्वाजम्: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारद्वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गोत्रनाम

• द्वितीयकम्: the second
• द्वितीयकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीयक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Godaṇīyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like village vignette: two lineage banners or assemblies—Vatsa and Bhāradvāja—near a central meeting place; a sage recites names to attentive listeners.

Characters & Entities

• Godaṇīyā (village)
• Vatsa gotra
• Bhāradvāja gotra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmāraṇya is mapped through communities and lineages, showing how sacred regions are sustained by dharmic households.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A named settlement—Godaṇīyā—is identified within the Dharmāraṇya landscape; this verse is primarily geographic-genealogical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse catalogs gotras present in a particular village.