Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

व्योमांगणमनर्कं च नक्तेऽदीपं यथा गृहम । अवेदा ब्राह्मणा यद्वद्गंगाहीनास्तथा दिशः

Transliteration

vyomāṃgaṇamanarkaṃ ca nakte'dīpaṃ yathā gṛhama | avedā brāhmaṇā yadvadgaṃgāhīnāstathā diśaḥ

Translation

যেমন সূর্যহীন আকাশ নিষ্প্রভ, যেমন রাত্রে প্রদীপহীন গৃহ নিরর্থক, আর যেমন বেদহীন ব্রাহ্মণ মর্যাদাহীন—তেমনি গঙ্গাহীন হলে দিকসমূহ দীন হয়।

Word by Word

• व्योमाङ्गणम्: the expanse/courtyard of the sky
• व्योमाङ्गणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योमन् + अङ्गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: व्योम्नः अङ्गणम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• अनर्कम्: without the sun
• अनर्कम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-प्रत्यय (negation); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying व्योमाङ्गणम्)

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

• नक्ते: at night
• नक्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अदीपम्: without a lamp
• अदीपम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- + दीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-प्रत्यय (negation); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying गृहम्)

• यथा: as, like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुलनावाचक-अव्यय (comparative indeclinable)

• गृहम्: a house
• गृहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• अवेदाः: without the Veda, unlearned in Veda
• अवेदाः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- + वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-प्रत्यय; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ब्राह्मणाः)

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• यद्वत्: just as
• यद्वत्: Sambandha (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद्वत् (अव्यय)
• Form: तुलनावाचक-अव्यय (comparative indeclinable)

• गंगाहीनाः: devoid of the Ganga
• गंगाहीनाः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (निर्देश/सम्बन्ध): गङ्गया हीनाः/गङ्गाविहीनाः; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दिशः)

• तथा: so, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुलनानुगुण-अव्यय (correlative adverb: ‘so, likewise’)

• दिशः: directions
• दिशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tripartite analogy tableau: sunless sky, lamp-less night house, Veda-less brāhmaṇa; culminating in a compass of directions dimmed until Gaṅgā’s river-light flows through.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Veda
• Brāhmaṇa
• Sun (Arka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā is portrayed as a cosmic source of illumination and dharmic completeness, akin to the sun, a lamp, and the Veda.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā-tīrtha, implicitly centered on Kāśī where Gaṅgā’s presence is especially celebrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it underscores the value of approaching Gaṅgā for spiritual ‘light’—commonly expressed through darśana and snāna.