Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

यस्याः सकृज्जलस्नानं स्पर्द्धते ब्रह्मविद्यया । तेन वै गोमती सेयं सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमा । ब्रह्मज्ञानेन मुच्यंते प्रयागमरणेन वा । स्नानमात्रेण गोमत्यां मुच्यते पूर्वजैः सह

Transliteration

yasyāḥ sakṛjjalasnānaṃ sparddhate brahmavidyayā | tena vai gomatī seyaṃ sarvatīrthottamottamā | brahmajñānena mucyaṃte prayāgamaraṇena vā | snānamātreṇa gomatyāṃ mucyate pūrvajaiḥ saha

Translation

ଯାହାର ଜଳରେ ଏକଥର ସ୍ନାନ କରିବା ମଧ୍ୟ ବ୍ରହ୍ମବିଦ୍ୟାର ଫଳ ସହ ସ୍ପର୍ଦ୍ଧା କରେ; ତେଣୁ ଏହି ଗୋମତୀ ସର୍ବତୀର୍ଥମଧ୍ୟରେ ଉତ୍ତମୋତ୍ତମା। ବ୍ରହ୍ମଜ୍ଞାନରେ କିମ୍ବା ପ୍ରୟାଗରେ ମୃତ୍ୟୁରେ ମୋକ୍ଷ ମିଳେ; କିନ୍ତୁ ଗୋମତୀରେ ସ୍ନାନମାତ୍ରେ ମନୁଷ୍ୟ ପୂର୍ବଜମାନଙ୍କ ସହ ମୁକ୍ତ ହୁଏ।

Word by Word

• yasyāḥ: of which (river)
• yasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular) — relative pronoun

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• jala-snānam: bathing in water
• jala-snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य स्नानम्)

• sparddhate: competes (rivals)
• sparddhate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: spardh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘competes/rivals’

• brahma-vidyayā: by Brahma-knowledge
• brahma-vidyayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणो विद्या)

• tena: therefore/by that
• tena: Hetu/Karaṇa (Cause/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निपात (emphatic particle)

• gomatī: Gomatī (river)
• gomatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — नदी-नाम

• sā: that
• sā: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• iyam: this
• iyam: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• sarva-tīrtha-uttama-uttamā: the best of the best among all holy places
• sarva-tīrtha-uttama-uttamā: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक) + uttamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन — बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः; ‘सर्वेषां तीर्थानां उत्तमेषु अपि उत्तमा’ (superlative)

• brahma-jñānena: by Brahma-knowledge
• brahma-jñānena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया, एकवचन — तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणो ज्ञानम्)

• mucyante: are freed
• mucyante: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि/आत्मनेपद-प्रयोग (passive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — ‘are liberated’

• prayāga-maraṇena: by dying at Prayāga
• prayāga-maraṇena: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक) + maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया, एकवचन — तत्पुरुषः (प्रयागे मरणम्)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle)

• snāna-mātreṇa: by mere bathing
• snāna-mātreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया, एकवचन — तत्पुरुषः (स्नानस्य मात्रया/मात्रेण) ‘by mere bathing’

• gomatyām: in the Gomatī (river)
• gomatyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — स्थानाधिकरण

• mucyate: is freed
• mucyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘is liberated’

• pūrvajaiḥ: with (one’s) ancestors
• pūrvajaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘with ancestors/forefathers’ (instrumental of accompaniment)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahārtha (Accompaniment marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — सहार्थक (postposition-like indeclinable)

Speaker

Śrī Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomatī (Dvārakā)

Type: river/ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene vision of the Gomati’s waters glowing; a pilgrim bathing while subtle ancestral figures (pitṛs) rise purified behind, and a distant symbolic image of Prayāga’s confluence appears as a comparison; above, a luminous Brahman/Hari presence signifies liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Gomatī
• Brahma-vidyā
• Prayāga
• Ancestors (pūrvajāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s grace can accelerate liberation: Gomati at Dvārakā is praised as a supreme purifier whose snāna bestows freedom, even benefiting one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gomati River (Gomatī-tīrtha) associated with Dvārakā is declared the श्रेष्ठतम (supreme) among all tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the Gomati is explicitly praised as sufficient to confer liberation and ancestral uplift.