Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

स्वनय उवाच । कक्षीवांस्ते सुतो ब्रह्म न्गंधमादनपर्वते । स्नानं कुर्वन्नगस्त्यस्य तीर्थे संप्रति वर्तते

Transliteration

svanaya uvāca | kakṣīvāṃste suto brahma ngaṃdhamādanaparvate | snānaṃ kurvannagastyasya tīrthe saṃprati vartate

Translation

สวะนะยะกล่าวว่า “โอ พราหมณ์ บุตรของท่านนามกักษีวาน บัดนี้อยู่ ณ เขาคันธมาทนะ กำลังกระทำพิธีสรงน้ำ ณ ตีรถะอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ของฤๅษีอคัสตยะ”

Word by Word

• स्वनयः: Svanaya (name)
• स्वनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वनय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कक्षीवान्: Kakṣīvān (name)
• कक्षीवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कक्षीवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Apposition/Viśeṣya (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman (sage)
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• गन्धमादनपर्वते: on/at the Gandhamādana mountain
• गन्धमादनपर्वते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गन्धमादनस्य पर्वतः)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्: doing, performing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अगस्त्यस्य: of Agastya
• अगस्त्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संप्रति: now, at present
• संप्रति: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: संप्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• वर्तते: stays, remains, is present
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Svanaya (message quoted by Sudarśana)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agastya-tīrtha (on Gandhamādana)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A brāhmaṇa/sage (father addressed as ‘brahman’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Himalayan mountain with fragrant forests; Kakṣīvān at a clear rocky ford performing snāna, with Agastya’s presence implied by a small āśrama and sacred markers; a messenger (Svanaya) reporting the scene to a brāhmaṇa/sage.

Characters & Entities

• Svanaya
• Kakṣīvān
• Agastya
• Gandhamādana
• Agastya-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes tīrtha-snāna as a dharmic act—purifying conduct through pilgrimage and sacred bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Agastya’s tīrtha (Agastya-tīrtha) on Mount Gandhamādana is explicitly mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Agastya-tīrtha is described.