Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ओङ्कारजलधिं यावदुवाच भृगुनन्दनः । तीर्थसङ्गमभेदान्वै धर्मपुत्राय पृच्छते

Transliteration

oṅkārajaladhiṃ yāvaduvāca bhṛgunandanaḥ | tīrthasaṅgamabhedānvai dharmaputrāya pṛcchate

Translation

اومکار-جلدھی نامی عظیم سنگم تک بھِرگو کے فرزند نے بیان کیا؛ پھر اس نے دھرم کے پُتر سے تیرتھوں اور سنگموں کی جدا جدا اقسام کے بارے میں دریافت کیا۔

Word by Word

• ओङ्कार-जलधिम्: the Oṅkāra-ocean (a place named Oṅkārajaladhi)
• ओङ्कार-जलधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओङ्कार (प्रातिपदिक) + जलधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'ओङ्कारस्य जलधिः'

• यावत्: up to, as far as
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-अर्थे (until/as far as)

• उवाच: said, spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भृगु-नन्दनः: son of Bhṛgu
• भृगु-नन्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृगु (प्रातिपदिक) + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'भृगोः नन्दनः'

• तीर्थ-सङ्गम-भेदान्: the distinctions of sacred confluences
• तीर्थ-सङ्गम-भेदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'तीर्थानां सङ्गमानां भेदाः' (varieties/distinctions of confluences of tīrthas)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• धर्म-पुत्राय: to Dharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• धर्म-पुत्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'धर्मस्य पुत्रः'

• पृच्छते: asks
• पृच्छते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (narrating); internal reference to a Bhārgava sage addressing Dharmaputra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Oṃkāra-jaladhi / Oṃkāra tīrtha

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dharma-putra (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage of Bhṛgu’s lineage gestures toward a broad, sacred confluence named Oṃkāra-jaladhi; opposite sits Dharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira), attentive, with a retinue of sages; the river forms an ‘Oṃ’ like curve around an island-temple silhouette.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra-jaladhi
• Bhṛgu
• Dharmaputra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided by discernment: tīrthas and saṅgamas have distinct spiritual identities and merits worth learning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Oṃkāra-jaladhi (associated with Oṃkāreśvara on the Narmadā) is highlighted as a pivotal point in the tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse signals an inquiry that leads into a systematic listing (tīrthāvali).