Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

यः कारयेदायतनं गंगाप्रतिकृतेर्नरः । भुक्त्वा स भोगान्प्रेत्यापि याति गंगा सलोकताम्

Transliteration

yaḥ kārayedāyatanaṃ gaṃgāpratikṛternaraḥ | bhuktvā sa bhogānpretyāpi yāti gaṃgā salokatām

Translation

من يُنشئ مقامًا أو مَعبدًا لتمثالٍ أو تمثيلٍ للغانغا، ينعم باللذّات هنا؛ ثم بعد الموت أيضًا يبلغ عالَم الغانغا نفسه.

Word by Word

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

• कारयेत्: should cause to be made / should build
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त-प्रयोग (causative)

• आयतनम्: a shrine/abode/temple
• आयतनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गङ्गा-प्रतिकृतेः: of (for) the image/representation of Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा-प्रतिकृतेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भुक्त्वा: having enjoyed
• भुक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having done)

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

• भोगान्: enjoyments/pleasures
• भोगान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• प्रेत्य: after death / having departed
• प्रेत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund) अर्थे ‘मृत्वा/परलोकं गत्वा’ (after departing/after death)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• गङ्गा-सलोकताम्: the state of being in the same world as Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा-सलोकताम्: Gati/Karma (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + सलोकता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः सलोकता); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A patron oversees the construction of a small Gaṅgā shrine near a Kāśī ghāṭa; artisans install a serene Gaṅgā image with kalaśas, lamps, and flowing water motifs; devotees offer flowers and water.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting sacred institutions (building a Gaṅgā shrine) is praised as dharmic merit yielding both worldly well-being and posthumous spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā as a divine tīrtha, whose presence is honored even through a consecrated representation (pratikṛti).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Constructing an āyatana (shrine/temple) for a Gaṅgā image/representation (gaṅgāpratikṛti).