Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

त्वयावतारिता ब्रह्मन्नदी या ब्रह्मणः सुता । तथा कृतं च तत्रैव गंगा वतरणं क्षितौ

Transliteration

tvayāvatāritā brahmannadī yā brahmaṇaḥ sutā | tathā kṛtaṃ ca tatraiva gaṃgā vataraṇaṃ kṣitau

Translation

“اے برہمن! تم ہی نے اُس ندی کو—جو برہما کی دختر ہے—زمین پر اتارا؛ اور وہیں تم نے گنگا کے بھی دھرتی پر اترنے کا اہتمام کیا۔”

Word by Word

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent expressed instrumentally)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचनम् (Pronoun, Instrumental, Singular)

• अवतारिता: was caused to descend / brought down
• अवतारिता: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + तॄ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin / O revered one
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचनम् (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• नदी: the river
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• या: which
• या: Anvaya-sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; relative pronoun)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (सम्बन्ध), एकवचनम् (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• सुता: daughter
• सुता: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• तथा: so, likewise
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकार/अनुकरणवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (indeclinable adverb: 'thus/so')

• कृतम्: done, accomplished
• कृतम्: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; भावे/कर्मणि (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्ययम् (particle of emphasis)

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• अवतरणम्: descent
• अवतरणम्: Kriyā-phala (Event/act)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव + तॄ (धातु) → अवतरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; भाववाचक (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; action-noun)

• क्षितौ: on the earth
• क्षितौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरण), एकवचनम् (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

Speaker

Sages (Munis) addressing Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā; Brahmā-sutā river (contextually Sarasvatī)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages; here sages speak to Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages acclaim a venerable brāhmaṇa/rishi credited with bringing down a Brahmā-born river and facilitating Gaṅgā’s descent; imagined as celestial waters streaming from above into earthly landscape, with devas witnessing.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Brahmā
• Sarasvatī
• Gaṅgā
• Earth (Kṣiti)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine rivers are treated as sacred persons; their appearance on earth is tied to dharmic agency and cosmic purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to places sanctified by the descent/presence of Sarasvatī and Gaṅgā, within the Dharmāraṇya narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it recalls famed avataraṇa events that ground tīrtha sanctity.