Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

अकृत्वा जाह्नवीस्नानमनवेक्ष्य जगत्पतिम् । तस्य संवसथं प्राप्तो भारवोढुर्धनंजयः

Transliteration

akṛtvā jāhnavīsnānamanavekṣya jagatpatim | tasya saṃvasathaṃ prāpto bhāravoḍhurdhanaṃjayaḥ

Translation

Ohne das heilige Bad in der Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) zu vollziehen und ohne den Herrn der Welt zu schauen, erreichte Dhanañjaya, der Lastenträger, seine Behausung.

Word by Word

• अकृत्वा: without doing
• अकृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), नञ्-पूर्वक (negative)

• जाह्नवी-स्नानम्: bath in the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवी-स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जाह्नव्याः स्नानम्)

• अनवेक्ष्य: without looking at / without paying heed to
• अनवेक्ष्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), नञ्-पूर्वक (negative)

• जगत्-पतिम्: the Lord of the world
• जगत्-पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः पतिः)

• तस्य: of him / his
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• संवसथम्: dwelling-place / residence
• संवसथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवसथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• प्राप्तः: having reached / arrived
• प्राप्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• भार-वोढुः: the burden-bearer / porter
• भार-वोढुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार (प्रातिपदिक) + वह् (धातु)
• Form: उ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (agent noun: वोढृ/वोढुः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भारं वोढा)

• धनंजयः: Dhanañjaya (proper name)
• धनंजयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन (नाम)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) in Kāśī; Jagatpati-darśana (Viśveśvara) implied

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary burden-bearer named Dhanañjaya returns home, having bypassed the Gaṅgā bath and the Lord’s darśana; the river and temple loom in the background as missed sanctities.

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Jagatpati (Lord of the World, likely Viśveśvara/Śiva in Kāśī)
• Dhanañjaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, sacred duties—Gaṅgā bathing and darśana of the Lord—are portrayed as prior to worldly urgency; neglecting them signals spiritual forgetfulness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jāhnavī (the Gaṅgā) as the purifying river of Kāśī, along with the Lord of Kāśī (Jagatpati/Viśveśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gaṅgā-snān (Jāhnavī snāna) and darśana (beholding) of Jagatpati are implied as essential observances.