Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

सङ्गमे च करञ्जायाः स्थितमष्टोत्तरायुतम् । एरण्डीसङ्गमे तद्वत्तीर्थान्यष्टाधिकं शतम्

Transliteration

saṅgame ca karañjāyāḥ sthitamaṣṭottarāyutam | eraṇḍīsaṅgame tadvattīrthānyaṣṭādhikaṃ śatam

Translation

கரஞ்சா சங்கமத்தில் பத்தாயிரத்து எட்டு (10008) தீர்த்தங்கள் நிலைபெற்றுள்ளன. எரண்டீ சங்கமத்திலும் அதுபோல நூற்று எட்டு தீர்த்தங்கள் உள்ளன.

Word by Word

• saṅgame: at the confluence
• saṅgame: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṅgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• karañjāyāḥ: of Karañjā (river/place)
• karañjāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karañjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sthitam: is situated/exists
• sthitam: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) → sthita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र āyutam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• aṣṭottara-āyutam: ten thousand and eight
• aṣṭottara-āyutam: Karta (Count/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭottara-āyuta (प्रातिपदिक; aṣṭa + uttara + āyuta)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचकः (10,008); समासः (āyutam + aṣṭa-uttaram)

• eraṇḍī-saṅgame: at the Eraṇḍī confluence
• eraṇḍī-saṅgame: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eraṇḍī-saṅgama (प्रातिपदिक; eraṇḍī + saṅgama)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (eraṇḍyāḥ saṅgamaḥ)

• tadvat: similarly
• tadvat: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadvat (अव्यय/तद्धितान्त)
• Form: तुल्यतावाचक-अव्यय (like that/similarly)

• tīrthāni: tīrthas
• tīrthāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• aṣṭādhikam: increased by eight
• aṣṭādhikam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭādhika (प्रातिपदिक; aṣṭa + adhika)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (śatam)

• śatam: a hundred (i.e., 108)
• śatam: Karma (Count/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम (100)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (as referenced in this adhyāya’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karañjā-saṅgama; Eraṇḍī-saṅgama

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two confluences shown as paired vignettes: Karañjā-saṅgama bustling with many bathers and numerous small shrines; Eraṇḍī-saṅgama quieter, with a devotee performing 108-count japa on a mālā beside the meeting waters.

Characters & Entities

• Karañjā
• Eraṇḍī
• saṅgama
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Confluences are praised as ‘multipliers’ of sacred merit, where many tīrthas are mystically gathered into one accessible place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Karañjā-saṅgama and Eraṇḍī-saṅgama, both celebrated as major tīrtha-clusters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the māhātmya tone supports customary tīrtha acts like snāna, tarpaṇa, and dāna.