Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मलोकस्तु लोकानां सर्वेषामुत्तमो यथा । सरितां सरसां वापि वरिष्ठा जाह्नवी तथा

Transliteration

brahmalokastu lokānāṃ sarveṣāmuttamo yathā | saritāṃ sarasāṃ vāpi variṣṭhā jāhnavī tathā

Translation

Wie Brahmaloka unter allen Welten der höchste ist, so ist auch Jāhnavī (die Gaṅgā) die vortrefflichste unter den Flüssen und selbst unter den Seen.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मलोकः: Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणः लोकः); Nominative singular

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/contrastive particle)

• लोकानाम्: of the worlds
• लोकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; Genitive plural

• उत्तमः: the best/supreme
• उत्तमः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (superlative sense)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Connector (Upamana marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/उदाहरणार्थक (comparative ‘as/just as’)

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• सरसाम्: of lakes
• सरसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive ‘or’)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Discourse particle (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• वरिष्ठा: the most excellent
• वरिष्ठा: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; superlative; Nominative singular

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• तथा: likewise/so
• तथा: Connector (अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तथार्थक (so/likewise)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Brahmaloka above with Brahmā enthroned; below, Gaṅgā as a luminous river-goddess crowned, flowing past ghats—visualizing the analogy of highest realm and highest river.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmaloka
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Among sacred waters, the Gaṅgā is presented as pre-eminent—worthy of highest reverence and reliance for purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jāhnavī/Gaṅgā as the foremost tīrtha-water, within the Kāśī sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes hierarchy and supremacy for devotional focus.