Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 123

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं यत्पृष्टोऽस्मि नराधिप । गयाकूप्याश्च माहात्म्यं सर्वकामप्रदायकम्

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | etatte sarvamākhyātaṃ yatpṛṣṭo'smi narādhipa | gayākūpyāśca māhātmyaṃ sarvakāmapradāyakam

Translation

விச்வாமித்ரர் கூறினார்—ஓ அரசே, நீ கேட்ட அனைத்தையும் நான் உனக்குச் சொன்னேன்; எல்லா விருப்பங்களையும் அருளும் கயாகூபியின் மஹாத்மியம் அது।

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रः: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वामित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (singular)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (singular)

• सर्वम्: all, entirely
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• आख्यातम्: explained
• आख्यातम्: Kriyā (Participial predicate/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘told/explained’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• पृष्टः: (having been) asked
• पृष्टः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘asked’

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (singular)

• नराधिप: O king
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘lord of men’)

• गयाकूप्याः: of Gayākūpī
• गयाकूप्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया + कूपी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (the well at Gayā)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (singular)

• सर्वकामप्रदायकम्: granting all desires
• सर्वकामप्रदायकम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + काम + प्रदायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘giver of all desires’)

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayākūpī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ānarta (narādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Viśvāmitra seated in calm authority, addressing a king; the background hints at sacred waters or a shrine, signaling the concluded tīrtha narration.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• King (Narādhipa)
• Gayākūpī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmya is presented as a complete teaching: knowing a holy site’s glory is itself a dharmic gain and inspires pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayākūpī is explicitly praised as a sarva-kāma-pradāyaka tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it concludes a segment praising the tīrtha’s power to fulfill aims.