Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । गोकर्णादहमागच्छन्क्वापि देशे विशांपते । जाते मध्याह्नसमये लब्ध वान्विमलं सरः

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | gokarṇādahamāgacchankvāpi deśe viśāṃpate | jāte madhyāhnasamaye labdha vānvimalaṃ saraḥ

Translation

கௌதமர் கூறினார்—ஓ மக்கள்தலைவா, நான் கோகர்ணத்திலிருந்து திரும்பி வந்துகொண்டிருந்தேன். ஒரு இடத்தில், மதிய நேரம் வந்தபோது, மாசற்ற தெளிந்த ஒரு ஏரியை கண்டடைந்தேன்.

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• gokarṇāt: from Gokarṇa
• gokarṇāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gokarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• āgacchan: coming; while coming
• āgacchan: Karta (Participial subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'coming'

• kvāpi: somewhere
• kvāpi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय + निपात; 'somewhere'

• deśe: in a place
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• viśāṃpate: O lord of the people (O king)
• viśāṃpate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśāṃpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• jāte: when (it) had come about
• jāte: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु) → jāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग सप्तमी एकवचन; here locative absolute with samaye: 'when it had become'

• madhyāhna-samaye: at midday time
• madhyāhna-samaye: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhyāhna (प्रातिपदिक) + samaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मध्याह्नस्य समयः), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; with jāte = locative absolute

• labdha-vān: obtained; found
• labdha-vān: Kriya (Main verbal idea/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु) → labdha (कृदन्त) + -vat (तद्धित)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) + वत्-प्रत्यय; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; periphrastic perfect sense 'I obtained'

• vimalam: clear; pure
• vimalam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifies saraḥ

• saraḥ: a lake; pond
• saraḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; object of labdha-vān

Speaker

Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vimala-saras (descriptive; name not yet specified)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The King (viśāṃpati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gautama, traveling from Gokarṇa, pauses at midday as sunlight glints on a crystal-clear lake, its surface unblemished and inviting for ritual bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Gokarṇa
• Vimala Saraḥ (pure lake)
• King (Viśāṃpati)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage opens the seeker into a sacred landscape where purity (vimala) appears as both place and spiritual state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gokarṇa is the anchor-point; the verse also introduces a ‘vimala saraḥ’ encountered on the return route.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the scene prepares for purification actions like bathing in the following verses.