Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । कुंभजानुज वक्ष्यामि मुक्त्युपायं तवानघ । सेतुमध्ये महातीर्थं गंधमादनपर्वते

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | kuṃbhajānuja vakṣyāmi muktyupāyaṃ tavānagha | setumadhye mahātīrthaṃ gaṃdhamādanaparvate

Translation

Īśvara bersabda: “Wahai adik kepada Kumbhaja (Agastya), wahai yang suci tanpa dosa—kini Aku akan menyatakan kepadamu upāya menuju mokṣa. Di tengah Setu ada sebuah mahātīrtha, di Gunung Gandhamādana.”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कुंभजानुज: O younger brother of Kumbhaja (Agastya)
• कुंभजानुज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुंभज + अनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• वक्ष्यामि: I shall tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• मुक्ति-उपायम्: means to liberation
• मुक्ति-उपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति + उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तव: for you / of you
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अनघ: O sinless one
• अनघ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• सेतु-मध्ये: in the middle of the Setu
• सेतु-मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• महा-तीर्थम्: a great sacred ford (tīrtha)
• महा-तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गन्धमादन-पर्वते: on/at the Gandhamādana mountain
• गन्धमादन-पर्वते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahātīrtha in Setu-madhya at Gandhamādana (near Maṅgala-tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kumbhaja-anuja (Agastya’s younger brother)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara, radiant and tranquil, addresses the sage (Agastya’s brother) on the shore/bridge-like Setu landscape, pointing toward a sacred hill named Gandhamādana in the mid-Setu region; the sea, sandbanks, and distant shrine-markers frame the revelation of a hidden mahātīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Agastya (by epithet Kumbhaja)
• Agastya’s younger brother (unnamed here)
• Setu
• Gandhamādana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva presents tīrtha-sevā at Setu as a direct and authoritative means toward mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A mahātīrtha located in the Setu region, associated with Gandhamādana mountain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse introduces the mokṣa-upāya and points to the tīrtha; the explicit act (snāna) is stated in the next verse.