Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अचिंत्यशक्तिरनघाऽद्भुतरूपाऽघहारिणी । अद्रिराजसुताऽष्टांगयोगसिद्धिप्रदाऽच्युता

Transliteration

aciṃtyaśaktiranaghā'dbhutarūpā'ghahāriṇī | adrirājasutā'ṣṭāṃgayogasiddhipradā'cyutā

Translation

Ihre Macht ist unvorstellbar; sie ist makellos, von wunderbarer Gestalt und tilgt die Sünde. Als Tochter des Königs der Berge verleiht sie die Siddhis des Aṣṭāṅga-Yoga und ist unfehlbar, niemals von ihrer Natur abgefallen.

Word by Word

• अचिन्त्यशक्तिः: inconceivable power
• अचिन्त्यशक्तिः: Visheshya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अचिन्त्य (प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अचिन्त्या शक्ति:)

• अनघा: sinless; faultless
• अनघा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनघा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अद्भुतरूपा: of wondrous form
• अद्भुतरूपा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अद्भुतं रूपं यस्याः)

• अघहारिणी: remover of sin
• अघहारिणी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (अघं हरति)

• अद्रिराजसुता: daughter of the king of mountains
• अद्रिराजसुता: Visheshya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अद्रिराज (प्रातिपदिक) + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अद्रिराजस्य सुता)

• अष्टाङ्गयोगसिद्धिप्रदा: giver of siddhi of aṣṭāṅga-yoga
• अष्टाङ्गयोगसिद्धिप्रदा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक) + सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (अष्टाङ्गयोगस्य सिद्धिं प्रददाति)

• अच्युता: unfailing; unfallen
• अच्युता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अच्युता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; न-उपसर्गयुक्त (not fallen)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Adrīrāja-sutā) in Kāśī

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping vision: Gaṅgā as radiant goddess descending from snowy Himalaya peaks, her power inconceivable; in Kāśī she washes away sin while yogins practice aṣṭāṅga on the ghāṭs.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Himālaya (adri-rāja)
• Aṣṭāṅga-yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā is celebrated as a purifier whose grace supports both dharmic cleansing (sin-removal) and yogic accomplishment (aṣṭāṅga-yoga).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā as tīrtha within Kāśī, while also recalling her Himalayan origin as part of her sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse frames Gaṅgā worship as conducive to purification and yogic siddhi.