Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

स्वर्गद्वाः स्वर्गभूरेषा मोक्षभूर्मणिकर्णिका । स्वर्गापवर्गावत्रैव नोपरिष्टान्न चाप्यधः

Transliteration

svargadvāḥ svargabhūreṣā mokṣabhūrmaṇikarṇikā | svargāpavargāvatraiva nopariṣṭānna cāpyadhaḥ

Translation

Maṇikarṇikā ist das Tor zum Himmel, der Boden des Himmels selbst und der Boden der Befreiung. Himmel und endgültige Erlösung sind hier—weder oben noch unten anderswo.

Word by Word

• स्वर्गद्वाः: (is) the gate of heaven
• स्वर्गद्वाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (svargasya dvāram); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; छन्दसि ‘द्वाः’ रूपम्

• स्वर्गभूः: the ground/realm of heaven
• स्वर्गभूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (svargasya bhūḥ); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एषा: this
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मोक्षभूः: the ground/realm of liberation
• मोक्षभूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mokṣasya bhūḥ); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मणिकर्णिका: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समनाधिकरण (apposition)

• स्वर्गापवर्गौ: heaven and liberation
• स्वर्गापवर्गौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + अपवर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative adverb/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• उपरिष्टात्: above; higher up
• उपरिष्टात्: Desha-adhikarana (Locative adverb/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपरिष्टात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• अधः: below
• अधः: Desha-adhikarana (Locative adverb/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maṇikarṇikā as a cosmic axis: the ghāṭ steps become a mandala; above them a radiant ‘svarga-dvāra’ and within them a luminous ‘mokṣa-bhūmi’ aura, suggesting heaven and liberation co-present in the same sacred ground.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Svarga
• Apavarga (mokṣa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Maṇikarṇikā is extolled as a concentrated sacred geography where the fruits of heaven and liberation are immediately accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā tīrtha/ghāṭa in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is specified; the verse asserts the site’s inherent status as svargadvāra and mokṣabhū, implying pilgrimage, worship, and snāna as appropriate acts.