Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

नैरंतर्येण गंगायां मासं यः स्नाति पुण्यवान् । शक्रलोके स वसति यावच्छक्रः सपूर्वजः

Transliteration

nairaṃtaryeṇa gaṃgāyāṃ māsaṃ yaḥ snāti puṇyavān | śakraloke sa vasati yāvacchakraḥ sapūrvajaḥ

Translation

مَن كان ذا برٍّ وتطهّر في الغانغا بلا انقطاع شهرًا، أقام في عالم شَكرا (إندرا) مع أسلافه ما دام شَكرا مقيمًا هناك.

Word by Word

• नैरन्तर्येण: with continuity; without interruption
• नैरन्तर्येण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरन्तर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; भाववाचक (by continuity/without break)

• गङ्गायाम्: in the Ganga
• गङ्गायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (duration)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुण्यवान्: meritorious
• पुण्यवान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (possessive adjective)

• शक्रलोके: in Indra's world
• शक्रलोके: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र + लोक (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शक्रस्य लोके)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वसति: dwells
• वसति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (until/as long as)

• शक्रः: Indra
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सपूर्वजः: together with his predecessors
• सपूर्वजः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक; उपपद-समास/सह-प्रयोग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सहार्थक-तत्पुरुषः (पूर्वजैः सह)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like scene: the same pilgrim bathing daily at dawn for a month; calendar/moon phases subtly indicated; finally, Indra’s (Śakra’s) celestial city appears, with the pilgrim arriving accompanied by radiant ancestors.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śakra (Indra)
• Śakraloka (Svarga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained, disciplined practice at a sacred tīrtha multiplies merit; continuity in devotion is praised as especially powerful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā as a living tīrtha, particularly as approached through long-duration practice in the Kāśī sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nairaṃtarya-snānā: bathing in the Gaṅgā without interruption for a full month (a Gaṅgā-vrata style observance).