Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

गुप्तक्षेत्रस्य माहात्म्यं महीसागरसंगमम् । तत्र स्नात्वा प्रभासाय तन्मध्येन प्रतस्थतुः

Transliteration

guptakṣetrasya māhātmyaṃ mahīsāgarasaṃgamam | tatra snātvā prabhāsāya tanmadhyena pratasthatuḥ

Translation

เขาทั้งสองได้สดับมหิมาแห่งคุปตเกษตร และสังฆมที่แผ่นดินบรรจบมหาสมุทร ครั้นอาบสนาน ณ ที่นั้นแล้ว ก็ออกเดินทางสู่ประภาสะไปตามเส้นทางนั้นเอง

Word by Word

• गुप्त-क्षेत्रस्य: of the hidden sacred region
• गुप्त-क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘गुप्तं क्षेत्रम्’ इति कर्मधारय; सम्बन्धे

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness, glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• मही-सागर-संगमम्: the confluence of the earth/land and the ocean
• मही-सागर-संगमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘महीसागरयोः संगमः’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वा (absolutive), अव्यय; पूर्वकालिक

• प्रभासाय: towards Prabhāsa
• प्रभासाय: Sampradana (Goal/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; गत्यर्थे (goal)

• तत्-मध्येन: through its middle
• तत्-मध्येन: Adhikarana (Path/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत्—‘तस्य मध्ये/मध्येन’ (through the middle of that)

• प्रतस्थतुः: they set out, departed
• प्रतस्थतुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guptakṣetra; Māhī-sāgara-saṅgama (land–ocean confluence)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims arrive at a ‘hidden’ sacred spot near the shoreline where the vast ocean meets the land; they bathe at the sangam and continue toward Prabhāsa along the coast.

Characters & Entities

• Guptakṣetra
• Mahī-sāgara-saṅgama
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is strengthened by śraddhā and purification—hearing a tīrtha’s glory and bathing there prepares one for higher holy destinations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Guptakṣetra and the mahī–sāgara saṅgama (land–ocean confluence), with the journey oriented toward Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the confluence prior to continuing the pilgrimage.