Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पृथिव्यां सर्वतीर्थेषु समुद्धृत्य शुभोदकम् । मुक्तं तत्र सुरैः खात्वा देवखातं ततोऽभवत्

Transliteration

pṛthivyāṃ sarvatīrtheṣu samuddhṛtya śubhodakam | muktaṃ tatra suraiḥ khātvā devakhātaṃ tato'bhavat

Translation

เหล่าเทพได้รวบรวมน้ำมงคลจากตถาคตสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์ (ตีรถะ) ทั้งปวงบนแผ่นดิน แล้วปล่อยลง ณ ที่นั้น; ครั้นขุดเป็นแอ่งไว้ จึงได้ชื่อภายหลังว่า เทวคาตะ (Devakhāta)

Word by Word

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.)

• सर्वतीर्थेषु: in all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचन (Loc. pl.); कर्मधारयः: सर्वाणि तीर्थानि = सर्वतीर्थानि

• समुद्धृत्य: having gathered/raised up
• समुद्धृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उद् + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘having lifted/collected’

• शुभोदकम्: auspicious water
• शुभोदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); कर्मधारयः: शुभम् उदकम्

• मुक्तम्: was released
• मुक्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु) + मुक्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: मुच् धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (PPP: ‘released/let go’)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• सुरैः: by the gods
• सुरैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया बहुवचन (Instr. pl.)

• खात्वा: having dug
• खात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘having dug’

• देवखातम्: (it) became Devakhāta
• देवखातम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + खात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: देवानां खातम्

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (ablatival adverb ‘then/thereupon’)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devakhāta

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devas gather waters from myriad tīrthas and pour them into a newly dug sacred basin; the moment of naming—Devakhāta—arises from divine excavation and release of holy waters.

Characters & Entities

• Devakhāta
• Sura (the gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sites are portrayed as condensations of universal holiness—here, the essence of many tīrthas is gathered into one place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devakhāta, a sacred excavation/tank at Piṅgalāvarta associated with Piṅgaleśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly supports tīrtha-snānā: the site is sanctified by the gathered waters of all tīrthas, making bathing there especially meritorious.