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Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

।अगस्त्य उवाच । विना स्नानेन गंगाया नृणां जन्मनिरथर्कम् । उपायांतरमस्त्यन्यद्येन स्नानफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

|agastya uvāca | vinā snānena gaṃgāyā nṛṇāṃ janmaniratharkam | upāyāṃtaramastyanyadyena snānaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Agastya sprach: Ohne das Bad in der heiligen Gaṅgā erscheint die menschliche Geburt fruchtlos. Gibt es einen anderen Weg, durch den man die Frucht dieses Bades erlangt?

Word by Word
अगस्त्यःAgastya
अगस्त्यः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootअगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada
विनाwithout
विना:
Relation marker (वियोग)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootविना (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-निपात (preposition ‘without’), सह तृतीया
स्नानेनby bathing
स्नानेन:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootस्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular
गङ्गायाःof the Gaṅgā
गङ्गायाः:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootगङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular
नृणाम्of men/people
नृणाम्:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootनृ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural
जन्मbirth/life
जन्म:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootजन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (as compound member)
निरर्थकम्meaningless/futile
निरर्थकम्:
Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमाना)
TypeAdjective
Rootनिरर्थक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicate adjective agreeing with जन्म; Nominative singular
उपायान्तरम्another means
उपायान्तरम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootउपाय (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (उपायस्य अन्तरम् = another means); Nominative singular
अस्तिthere is
अस्ति:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootअस् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada
अन्यत्other
अन्यत्:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootअन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; here predicate/attributive to उपायान्तरम्; Nominative singular
येनby which
येन:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun; Instrumental singular
स्नानफलम्the fruit/result of bathing
स्नानफलम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootस्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (स्नानस्य फलम्); Accusative singular
लभेत्may obtain
लभेत्:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootलभ् (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ātmanepada; ‘may obtain’
Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (in Kāśī discourse)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The responding authority in the narrative (likely a sage/narrator within Kāśī-khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Agastya, seated in a forest āśrama, asks with folded hands about an alternative means to obtain Gaṅgā-snānā fruit; in the background, a symbolic vision of Gaṅgā appears, linking inquiry to sacred geography.

Characters & Entities
A
Agastya
G
Gaṅgā

FAQs

It frames Gaṅgā-bathing as a pinnacle practice while compassionately asking for accessible alternatives for seekers.

The Gaṅgā as the paradigmatic tīrtha whose bath is considered supremely fruitful.

Gaṅgā-snānā (bathing in the Gaṅgā) is referenced, and an inquiry is raised about substitute practices yielding the same fruit.

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