Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

दत्त्वा दानान्यनेकानि विगाह्य मणिकर्णिकाम् । स्वर्गद्वारं प्रविष्टा ये न ते निरयगामिनः

Transliteration

dattvā dānānyanekāni vigāhya maṇikarṇikām | svargadvāraṃ praviṣṭā ye na te nirayagāminaḥ

Translation

Wer viele Gaben als Almosen spendet, in Maṇikarṇikā badet und durch das Himmelstor eintritt—der geht nicht in die Hölle.

Word by Word

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having given’

• दानानि: gifts; donations
• दानानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• अनेकानि: many
• अनेकानि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘दानानि’)

• विगाह्य: having entered; having bathed in
• विगाह्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि+√गाह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having entered/plunged into’

• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्वर्गद्वारम्: the gate of heaven
• स्वर्गद्वारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (svargasya dvāram); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रविष्टाः: having entered
• प्रविष्टाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र+√विश् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past active/PPP used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘entered’

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक

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

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• निरयगामिनः: hell-goers; those who go to hell
• निरयगामिनः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicative adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरय (प्रातिपदिक) + गामिन् (कृदन्त; √गम् धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (निरयं गच्छन्ति इति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim offers gifts to the needy/brāhmaṇas on the ghāṭ after bathing; behind, a radiant ‘svarga-dvāra’ opens, while a shadowy naraka-path recedes and dissolves—symbolizing protection from hell.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Dāna (charity)
• Snāna (bathing)
• Svargadvāra
• Niraya (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity joined with tīrtha-bathing is praised as strongly purifying, leading to auspicious destiny and avoidance of hellish states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (giving many gifts/charities) and vigāha/snāna (bathing) at Maṇikarṇikā.