Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

यत्र विश्वेश्वरः साक्षाद्यत्र स्वर्गापगा च सा । येषां महैनसां दृष्टा मुनिभिर्नैव निष्कृतिः । तेषां विशुद्धिरस्त्येव प्राप्य वाराणसीं पुरीम्

Transliteration

yatra viśveśvaraḥ sākṣādyatra svargāpagā ca sā | yeṣāṃ mahainasāṃ dṛṣṭā munibhirnaiva niṣkṛtiḥ | teṣāṃ viśuddhirastyeva prāpya vārāṇasīṃ purīm

Translation

Wo Viśveśvara leibhaftig gegenwärtig ist und wo jener himmlische Strom fließt—selbst für jene, deren große Sünden die Weisen ohne Sühne sahen, entsteht gewiss Läuterung, sobald sie die Stadt Vārāṇasī erreichen.

Word by Word

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• viśva-īśvaraḥ: Viśveśvara (Lord of the universe)
• viśva-īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘of the universe’ + ‘lord’)

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; साक्षात् (directly/in person)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• svarga-apagā: the heavenly river (Gaṅgā)
• svarga-apagā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + apagā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘heaven’ + ‘river-going/river’, i.e., Gaṅgā)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• sā: she/that (river)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yeṣām: of whom/whose
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

• mahā-enasām: of great sins
• mahā-enasām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + enas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘great’ + ‘sin’)

• dṛṣṭā: is seen/considered
• dṛṣṭā: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘seen/considered’ (agreeing with niṣkṛtiḥ)

• munibhiḥ: by sages
• munibhiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; एव (emphasis/only)

• niṣkṛtiḥ: expiation
• niṣkṛtiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣkṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• viśuddhiḥ: purification
• viśuddhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśuddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• asti: is
• asti: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• eva: certainly
• eva: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; एव (emphasis)

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), ‘having reached/after attaining’

• vārāṇasīm: Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• purīm: city
• purīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Kṛṣṇa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), Viśveśvara-kṣetra with Gaṅgā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sacred vision of Kāśī: Viśveśvara’s shrine radiating presence, Gaṅgā flowing like a celestial ribbon, pilgrims and sages acknowledging that even the gravest sins dissolve upon arrival.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara (Śiva)
• Gaṅgā
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Munis (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The union of Śiva (Viśveśvara) and Gaṅgā in Kāśī makes it a unique field of purification beyond ordinary expiations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), specifically as the realm of Viśveśvara and the presence of the Gaṅgā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reaching Kāśī itself is presented as the decisive means of purification; no separate rite is specified in this verse.