Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

तावद्धमति संसारे यावद्गंगां न सेवते । संसेव्य गंगां नो जंतुर्भवक्लेशं प्रपश्यति

Transliteration

tāvaddhamati saṃsāre yāvadgaṃgāṃ na sevate | saṃsevya gaṃgāṃ no jaṃturbhavakleśaṃ prapaśyati

Translation

ما دام المرء لا يخدم الغانغا ولا يتعبّد لها، فإنه يكدح في السمسارا؛ فإذا خدم الغانغا، لم يعد الكائن يشهد كرب التكوّن الدنيوي.

Word by Word

• tāvat: so long
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• dhamati: blows about/wanders (restlessly)
• dhamati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dham (धम् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• saṃsāre: in worldly existence
• saṃsāre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (relative adverb)

• gaṅgām: Ganga
• gaṅgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• sevate: serves/attends
• sevate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (सेव् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• saṃsevya: having served
• saṃsevya: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + sev (सेव् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — ‘having served’

• gaṅgām: Ganga
• gaṅgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• jantuḥ: a creature/person
• jantuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jantu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• bhava-kleśam: the affliction of worldly existence
• bhava-kleśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + kleśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• prapaśyati: sees/experiences
• prapaśyati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + paś (पश् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-panel contrast: left, a weary being trudges through a wheel of saṃsāra; right, the same person serves Gaṅgā at a ghat (cleaning steps, offering lamp), and the wheel fades into calm light.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Saṃsāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional service to Gaṅgā is presented as a decisive turning from saṃsāra toward freedom from worldly suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā in the Kāśī tīrtha-mandala (Kashi sacred field).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gaṅgā-sevā—reverent service/attendance to Gaṅgā (which may include bathing, worship, and tīrtha observances).