Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

सर्ववर्णाश्रमेभ्यश्च वेदविद्भ्यश्च वै तथा । शास्त्रार्थपारगेभ्यश्च गंगास्नायी विशिष्यते

Transliteration

sarvavarṇāśramebhyaśca vedavidbhyaśca vai tathā | śāstrārthapāragebhyaśca gaṃgāsnāyī viśiṣyate

Translation

Wer in der Gaṅgā badet, gilt als erhaben—über alle Varṇa und Āśrama, über die Kenner des Veda und über jene, die den Sinn der Śāstras durchdrungen haben.

Word by Word

• सर्ववर्णाश्रमेभ्यः: from (among) all varṇas and āśramas
• सर्ववर्णाश्रमेभ्यः: Apādāna (Source/Comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-वर्ण-आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), बहुवचन; समासः द्वन्द्वः (वर्णाश्रमौ) उपपदेन सर्व-विशेषणम्

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

• वेदविद्भ्यः: from (among) knowers of the Veda
• वेदविद्भ्यः: Apādāna (Source/Comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद-विद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (वेदं वेत्ति इति)

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

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: in like manner)

• शास्त्रार्थपारगेभ्यः: from (among) those who have mastered the meaning of scriptures
• शास्त्रार्थपारगेभ्यः: Apādāna (Source/Comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शास्त्र-अर्थ-पारग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (शास्त्रस्य अर्थे पारगः)

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

• गंगास्नायी: one who bathes in the Ganga
• गंगास्नायी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-स्नायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायां स्नायी)

• विशिष्यते: is distinguished/excels
• विशिष्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-शिष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; धातुः √शिष् (to be distinguished) उपसर्गः वि

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a Kāśī ghāṭa, diverse figures—brahmacārin, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsin; scholars holding palm-leaf manuscripts—stand beside a simple pilgrim emerging from Gaṅgā; a subtle radiance surrounds the bather, indicating ‘viśiṣyate’.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Varṇa
• Āśrama
• Veda
• Śāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred contact with Gaṅgā is portrayed as an exceptional purifier, surpassing even status and scholarship when approached as tīrtha-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā-snāna in the Kāśī milieu, exalted as uniquely meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the Gaṅgā is the explicit practice praised.