Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । सर्वेषां क्षेत्रतीर्थानां महाशुभविनाशिनी । गौतमीयं महाभागा अस्यास्तापः क्व शाम्यति

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | sarveṣāṃ kṣetratīrthānāṃ mahāśubhavināśinī | gautamīyaṃ mahābhāgā asyāstāpaḥ kva śāmyati

Translation

Gautama nói: Hỡi bậc phúc đức, dòng Gautamī này là đấng tiêu trừ mọi uế nhiễm cho tất cả thánh địa và các tīrtha. Vậy thì nỗi khổ của nàng còn có thể lắng yên ở nơi đâu?

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• kṣetra-tīrthānām: of the sacred places and pilgrimage-fords
• kṣetra-tīrthānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective)

• mahā-śubha-vināśinī: destroyer of great auspiciousness (i.e., of great merit/fortune)
• mahā-śubha-vināśinī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + śubha (प्रातिपदिक) + vināśinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (महाशुभस्य विनाशिनी)

• gautamīyam: (that which is) of/pertaining to Gautamī
• gautamīyam: Visheshya/Visheshana (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gautamīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• mahā-bhāgā: O greatly fortunate lady
• mahā-bhāgā: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि (vocative sense possible)

• asyāḥ: of her
• asyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• tāpaḥ: heat; suffering; affliction
• tāpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kva: where
• kva: Desha/Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• śāmyati: subsides; is pacified
• śāmyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamī

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The assembled inquirers (implied) and Nārada (present)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gautama proclaims Gautamī’s supremacy: the river-devi stands radiant, with miniature icons of various tīrthas/kshetras symbolically bowing or reflected in her waters, indicating ‘all tīrthas’ depend on her purifying power.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Gautamī
• Kṣetras
• Tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true tīrtha is a purifier for other tīrthas as well—its sanctity is portrayed as supremely resilient.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautamī is explicitly glorified as a principal purifier among all kṣetras and tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual; the verse establishes Gautamī’s supreme purificatory status as the basis for later practices.