Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

प्रभावश्चापि गंगाया गंगानामसहस्रकम् । वाराणस्याः प्रशंसाथ भैरवाविर्भवस्ततः

Transliteration

prabhāvaścāpi gaṃgāyā gaṃgānāmasahasrakam | vārāṇasyāḥ praśaṃsātha bhairavāvirbhavastataḥ

Translation

আৰু গঙ্গাৰ প্ৰভাৱৰ বৰ্ণনাও আছে; গঙ্গাৰ সহস্ৰ নাম; তাৰ পাছত বাৰাণসীৰ প্ৰশংসা, আৰু তাৰ পিছত ভৈৰৱৰ আবিৰ্ভাৱ।

Word by Word

• प्रभावः: power; efficacy; glory
• प्रभावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• गङ्गायाः: of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• गङ्गानामसहस्रकम्: a thousand names of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गानामसहस्रकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गानामसहस्रक (प्रातिपदिक) = गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः नाम्नां सहस्रकम्)

• वाराणस्याः: of Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रशंसा: praise; eulogy
• प्रशंसा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रशंसा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अथ: then; next
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (sequence marker: 'then/now')

• भैरवाविर्भवः: the manifestation of Bhairava
• भैरवाविर्भवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरवाविर्भव (प्रातिपदिक) = भैरव (प्रातिपदिक) + आविर्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भैरवस्य आविर्भवः)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) क्रमवाचक

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī-tīrtha) / Vārāṇasī / Kāla-Bhairava

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping devotional panorama: Gaṅgā’s radiant power over the ghāṭas, a scroll-like recitation of her thousand names, Vārāṇasī personified as a sacred city, and Bhairava appearing as the fierce guardian at a crossroads shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Bhairava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Names, praises, and narratives are presented as vehicles of sacred power—Gaṅgā’s glory and Kāśī’s greatness culminate in Bhairava’s kṣetra-protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī/Avimukta) and the Gaṅgā, with special emphasis on Kāśī’s Bhairava tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of Gaṅgā’s thousand names (sahasranāma) is implied as a devotional practice.