Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

सहोवाचेति जाबालिरारुणेसिरिडामता । वरणापिंगला नाडी तदंतस्त्वविमुक्तकम्

Transliteration

sahovāceti jābālirāruṇesiriḍāmatā | varaṇāpiṃgalā nāḍī tadaṃtastvavimuktakam

Translation

„So sprach wahrlich Jābāli zu Āruṇi“—so lautet die Überlieferung. Varaṇā und Piṅgalā sind die Kanäle; innerhalb ihrer Grenzen liegt Avimukta.

Word by Word

• सह: together/indeed (in the formula)
• सह: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सहितार्थक-अव्यय (together/with; here: emphatic in quotation formula)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative)

• जाबालिः: Jābāli
• जाबालिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाबालि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• आरुणे: in/unto Āruṇa (name)
• आरुणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; संबोधन/अधिकरण-प्रयोगः (context-dependent)

• सिरिडामता: (unclear proper name/epithet)
• सिरिडामता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिरिडामता (प्रातिपदिक; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-शब्दः)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पाठे अस्फुटम् (uncertain lexeme)

• वरणा-पिङ्गला: Varaṇā and Piṅgalā (two rivers/channels)
• वरणा-पिङ्गला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरणा (प्रातिपदिक) + पिङ्गला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (वरणा च पिङ्गला च)

• नाडी: channel/tube (nāḍī)
• नाडी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाडी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Demonstrative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र ‘तदन्तः’ इत्यत्र पूर्वपदम्

• अन्तः: within
• अन्तः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्तर्/अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb: inside/within)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• अविमुक्तकम्: Avimuktaka (Avimukta region)
• अविमुक्तकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; स्थाननाम

Speaker

Skanda (quoting a śruti/upaniṣadic tradition attributed to Jābāli and Āruṇi)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (within Varaṇā–Piṅgalā/Asi bounds)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred map: two flowing boundary rivers labeled Varaṇā and Piṅgalā/Asi forming a cradle around Avimukta; sages Jābāli and Āruṇi point to the inner sanctum where Viśvanātha shines.

Characters & Entities

• Jābāli
• Āruṇi
• Varaṇā
• Piṅgalā
• Avimukta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is framed through ancient authoritative tradition, defining Avimukta as a divinely marked sacred zone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta within Kāśī, described via the limits of Varaṇā and Piṅgalā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides a sacred-geographical definition rather than a rite.