Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

गङ्गायमुनसङ्गे वै यत्फलं लभते नरः । तत्फलं लभते मर्त्यः कावेरीस्नानमाचरन्

Transliteration

gaṅgāyamunasaṅge vai yatphalaṃ labhate naraḥ | tatphalaṃ labhate martyaḥ kāverīsnānamācaran

Translation

கங்கை-யமுனை சங்கமத்தில் மனிதன் பெறும் பலன் எதுவோ, அதே பலனை காவேரியில் புனித நீராடல் செய்தால் மானவன் பெறுவான்।

Word by Word

• gaṅgā-yamunā-saṅge: at the confluence of Gaṅgā and Yamunā
• gaṅgā-yamunā-saṅge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक) + yamunā (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार/सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायमुनयोः सङ्गः), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• yat-phalam: whatever fruit/result
• yat-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (यत् फलं), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tat-phalam: that same fruit/result
• tat-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (तत् फलं), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• martyaḥ: a mortal
• martyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kāverī-snānam: bath in the Kāverī
• kāverī-snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāverī (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कावेऱ्याः स्नानम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ācaran: practising / performing
• ācaran: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (धातु) + ā- → ācarat (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; present participle, agreeing with martyaḥ

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purana narrative framework)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāverī (snāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Split-scene comparison: left shows Prayāga saṅgama with two rivers meeting; right shows a devotee bathing in Kāverī; a subtle divine scale or equal halo indicates identical merit.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Yamunā
• Kāverī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity can equal famed pan-Indian pilgrimage sites; sincere snāna in Kāverī grants great puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāverī river as a sacred bathing tīrtha, equated in merit to the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence (Prayāga).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kāverī-snāna—performing a holy bath in the Kāverī.