Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 108

Devanagari script

विष्णुपादोद्भवा गङ्गा दर्शनात्पापनाशनी । प्रस्रावे संस्थिता यस्मात्तस्माद्वन्द्या सदा बुधैः

Transliteration

viṣṇupādodbhavā gaṅgā darśanātpāpanāśanī | prasrāve saṃsthitā yasmāttasmādvandyā sadā budhaiḥ

Translation

విష్ణుపాదమునుండి ఉద్భవించిన గంగా దర్శనమాత్రముతో పాపనాశిని. ఆమె గో-ప్రస్రవములో స్థితమై యున్నందున జ్ఞానులు ఆమెను నిత్యం వందిస్తారు.

Word by Word

• विष्णुपादोद्भवा: arisen from Viṣṇu’s foot
• विष्णुपादोद्भवा: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विष्णोः पादात् उद्भवा)

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दर्शनात्: from (her) sight; by seeing
• दर्शनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• पापनाशनी: destroyer of sins
• पापनाशनी: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य नाशनी)

• प्रस्रावे: in the outflow/stream
• प्रस्रावे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रस्राव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• संस्थिता: situated; established
• संस्थिता: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + √स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: from which; because of which
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वन्द्या: worthy of reverence
• वन्द्या: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वन्द् (धातु) → वन्द्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययार्थः ‘वन्दनीय’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• बुधैः: by the wise
• बुधैः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from nearby dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as Viṣṇu-pādodbhavā) / Go-padārtha-pavitratā motif

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍunandana/Bhārata)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Gaṅgā stream emanates from Viṣṇu’s feet while sages bow; in the foreground a serene cow stands, suggesting the sanctity of her flowing exudations as a parallel purifier.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is grounded in sacred origin: Gaṅgā’s sin-destroying power is invoked to sacralize and honor the cow’s purificatory substances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is invoked as the paradigmatic tīrtha; the verse integrates her holiness into Gau-māhātmya within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reverence (vandanā) toward the cow’s purificatory outflow is implied as a dharmic purity practice.