Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

गौरि त्वया कृतं पूर्वं स्नानमत्र महाह्रदे । गौरीतीर्थं ततः ख्यातं सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्

Transliteration

gauri tvayā kṛtaṃ pūrvaṃ snānamatra mahāhrade | gaurītīrthaṃ tataḥ khyātaṃ sarvatīrthottamottamam

Translation

اے گوری! تم نے پہلے اس عظیم مقدّس ہرد میں اشنان کیا تھا؛ اسی سبب یہ ‘گوری تیرتھ’ کے نام سے مشہور ہوا، سب تیرتھوں میں سب سے برتر۔

Word by Word

• गौरि: O Gaurī
• गौरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3/करण), एकवचन — Pronoun ‘you’, Instrumental, Singular

• कृतम्: done; performed
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past passive participle ‘done/made’

• पूर्वम्: formerly; earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — Indeclinable adverb of time

• स्नानम्: bath; bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता) एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb of place

• महाह्रदे: in the great lake
• महाह्रदे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: महा+ह्रद (कर्मधारय); पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन — Locative, Singular

• गौरीतीर्थम्: (the) Gaurī-tīrtha
• गौरीतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: गौरी-तीर्थ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘of Gaurī’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular

• ततः: therefore; from that
• ततः: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्/ततः—अपादान/क्रमवाचक) — Indeclinable ‘therefore/from that’

• ख्यातम्: is famed; is known
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khyā (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘known/famed’ (PPP)

• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्: the best of the best among all sacred fords
• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + tīrtha + uttama + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: सर्व-तीर्थ-उत्तम-उत्तम (तत्पुरुष; ‘best of the best among all tīrthas’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī Khaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaurītīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous sacred lake (mahāhrada) in Kāśī; Gaurī performs ritual bathing, attended by subtle divine beings; the water glows like a tīrtha of extraordinary potency, with lotuses and ghats framing the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Gaurītīrtha
• Mahāhrada (great sacred lake/pond)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes supremely sanctifying through divine association and exemplary sacred acts like Gaurī’s snāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaurītīrtha, a sacred bathing spot in Kāśī connected with Gaurī (Pārvatī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the great sacred lake, which establishes and reveals the tīrtha’s greatness.