Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

गन्धमादनमध्यस्थसर्वर्तीर्थाभिमज्जनात् । यत्पुण्यं तद्भवेत्तेन नात्र संशयकारणम्

Transliteration

gandhamādanamadhyasthasarvartīrthābhimajjanāt | yatpuṇyaṃ tadbhavettena nātra saṃśayakāraṇam

Translation

ഗന്ധമാദനത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിലുള്ള എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും മുങ്ങിസ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യം—അതേ പുണ്യം ഇവിടെ കൂടി അവനു ലഭിക്കും; സംശയത്തിന് കാരണമില്ല।

Word by Word

• गन्धमादनमध्यस्थसर्वतीर्थाभिमज्जनात्: from bathing in all the tīrthas situated in the middle of Gandhamādana
• गन्धमादनमध्यस्थसर्वतीर्थाभिमज्जनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन-मध्यस्थ-सर्व-तीर्थ-अभिमज्जन (प्रातिपदिक; गन्धमादन + मध्यस्थ + सर्व + तीर्थ + अभिमज्जन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: 'गन्धमादनस्य मध्ये स्थितेषु सर्वेषु तीर्थेषु अभिमज्जनात्' (ablative: 'from/through bathing')

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (of implied 'asti')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (of 'bhavet')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तद्-निर्देशक (correlative)

• भवेत्: would be; becomes
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तेन: by that; thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/हेतौ (instrumental: 'by that/thereby')

• न: not
• न: Negator
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• संशयकारणम्: cause for doubt
• संशयकारणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (elliptic 'asti')
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय-कारण (प्रातिपदिक; संशय + कारण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'संशयस्य कारणम्' (न संशयकारणम् = no cause for doubt)

Speaker

Rāmanātha (Śiva) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmasetu / Setukṣetra (as sarva-tīrtha-sāra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic juxtaposition: Himalayan Gandhamādana with clustered tīrthas on one side, and Setu’s seashore on the other, connected by a stream of light indicating equal merit.

Characters & Entities

• Gandhamādana
• Sarva-tīrtha (all tīrthas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely sanctified place can concentrate the merit of many pilgrimages, making grace accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu tīrtha (Rāmasetu/Rāmeśvaram), presented as equal in merit to many Gandhamādana tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhimajjana (full immersion/bathing) as the key tīrtha practice.