Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

येन सृष्टिक्षमो जातः स्पर्धते ब्रह्मणा सह । एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं यथा सारस्वतं जलम्

Transliteration

yena sṛṣṭikṣamo jātaḥ spardhate brahmaṇā saha | etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ yathā sārasvataṃ jalam

Translation

അതിനാൽ അദ്ദേഹം സൃഷ്ടിക്ഷമനായി ബ്രഹ്മാവിനോടും മത്സരിച്ചു; സാരസ്വതജലം ഇങ്ങനെ ആയതെങ്ങനെ എന്നതെല്ലാം ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളോട് പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• येन: by whom/whereby
• येन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• सृष्टिक्षमः: capable of creation
• सृष्टिक्षमः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सृष्टेः क्षमः = capable of creation)

• जातः: became
• जातः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + जात (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘become/was born’

• स्पर्धते: competes
• स्पर्धते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पर्ध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ब्रह्मणा: with Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणा: Sahakari (सहकारी/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सह: with
• सह: Sahakaraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सहार्थक (postposition-like indeclinable)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपे (object)

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Genitive/Dative), बहुवचन; अत्र चतुर्थ्यर्थे ‘to you’

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘all (of it)’

• आख्यातम्: has been explained
• आख्यातम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु) + आख्यात (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे ‘has been told/explained’

• यथा: as/just as
• यथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• सारस्वतम्: Sarasvatī-related
• सारस्वतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक) + अण् (तद्धित) → सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तद्धित-निर्मित विशेषण ‘belonging to Sarasvatī’

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sārasvata-jala

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator concludes an account: Viśvāmitra, empowered by tapas, stands near a luminous water-body labeled ‘Sārasvata’; subtle cosmic imagery hints at creation-power, with Brahmā’s presence suggested as a distant, symbolic figure.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Sārasvata-jala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha narratives link sacred geography with cosmic principles—power gained through austerity/mantra must be aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sārasvata-jala (the Sārasvata sacred waters) is the central tīrtha being explained.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it closes the explanatory account.