Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

अर्घतीर्थं समाख्यातं गंगाद्वारं तथैव च । हिमस्थानं महातीर्थं तथा मायापुरी शुभा

Transliteration

arghatīrthaṃ samākhyātaṃ gaṃgādvāraṃ tathaiva ca | himasthānaṃ mahātīrthaṃ tathā māyāpurī śubhā

Translation

പ്രസിദ്ധമായ അർഘതീർത്ഥവും, അതുപോലെ ഗംഗാദ്വാരവും; ഹിമസ്ഥാനം മഹാതീർത്ഥവും, ശുഭമായ മായാപുരിയും (പുണ്യം).

Word by Word

• अर्घतीर्थम्: Arghatīrtha (a sacred place)
• अर्घतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: अर्घस्य तीर्थम् / अर्घ-नामकं तीर्थम्

• समाख्यातम्: well-known; so-called
• समाख्यातम्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + ख्या (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अर्घतीर्थम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; अर्थः ‘प्रसिद्धम्/कथितम्’

• गंगाद्वारम्: Gaṅgādvāra (Haridvāra)
• गंगाद्वारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: गङ्गायाः द्वारम् (Gaṅgā-dvāra)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थे (also)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• हिमस्थानम्: Himasthāna (snow-region)
• हिमस्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिम (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: हिमस्य स्थानम् (snowy region)

• महातीर्थम्: a great pilgrimage place
• महातीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: महत् तीर्थम्

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थे (also)

• मायापुरी: Māyāpurī
• मायापुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: मायायाः पुरी / माया-नाम्नी पुरी

• शुभा: auspicious
• शुभा: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies मायापुरी)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arghatīrtha; Gaṅgādvāra; Himāsthāna; Māyāpurī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘deveśi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-map tableau: four sacred nodes named in sequence—Gaṅgā emerging at Gaṅgādvāra, snow-clad Himālaya peaks, a luminous tīrtha called Arghatīrtha, and an auspicious city-kṣetra Māyāpurī with a śakti shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Arghatīrtha
• Gaṅgādvāra (Haridwar)
• Himāsthāna
• Māyāpurī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa elevates renowned pilgrimage gateways and Himalayan regions as ‘mahā-tīrthas’ central to dharmic travel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgādvāra (Haridwar) is explicitly named, alongside Arghatīrtha, Himāsthāna, and Māyāpurī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; these sites are classically associated with snāna and tīrtha-sevā as part of pilgrimage.