Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

गौरि त्वया कृतं पूर्वं स्नानमत्र महाह्रदे । गौरीतीर्थं ततः ख्यातं सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्

Transliteration

gauri tvayā kṛtaṃ pūrvaṃ snānamatra mahāhrade | gaurītīrthaṃ tataḥ khyātaṃ sarvatīrthottamottamam

Translation

ഹേ ഗൗരീ! നീ മുമ്പ് ഈ മഹാഹ്രദത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്തതിനാൽ, ഇത് ‘ഗൗരീതീർത്ഥം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായി—സകല തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും പരമോത്തമം.

Word by Word

• गौरि: O Gaurī
• गौरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3/करण), एकवचन — Pronoun ‘you’, Instrumental, Singular

• कृतम्: done; performed
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past passive participle ‘done/made’

• पूर्वम्: formerly; earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — Indeclinable adverb of time

• स्नानम्: bath; bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता) एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb of place

• महाह्रदे: in the great lake
• महाह्रदे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: महा+ह्रद (कर्मधारय); पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन — Locative, Singular

• गौरीतीर्थम्: (the) Gaurī-tīrtha
• गौरीतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: गौरी-तीर्थ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘of Gaurī’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular

• ततः: therefore; from that
• ततः: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्/ततः—अपादान/क्रमवाचक) — Indeclinable ‘therefore/from that’

• ख्यातम्: is famed; is known
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khyā (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘known/famed’ (PPP)

• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्: the best of the best among all sacred fords
• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + tīrtha + uttama + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: सर्व-तीर्थ-उत्तम-उत्तम (तत्पुरुष; ‘best of the best among all tīrthas’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī Khaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaurītīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous sacred lake (mahāhrada) in Kāśī; Gaurī performs ritual bathing, attended by subtle divine beings; the water glows like a tīrtha of extraordinary potency, with lotuses and ghats framing the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Gaurītīrtha
• Mahāhrada (great sacred lake/pond)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes supremely sanctifying through divine association and exemplary sacred acts like Gaurī’s snāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaurītīrtha, a sacred bathing spot in Kāśī connected with Gaurī (Pārvatī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the great sacred lake, which establishes and reveals the tīrtha’s greatness.