Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

चिंतार्णवे निमग्नोभूत्त्यक्ताशो जीविते धने । सांयात्रिक इवागाधे भिन्नपोतो महार्णवे

Transliteration

ciṃtārṇave nimagnobhūttyaktāśo jīvite dhane | sāṃyātrika ivāgādhe bhinnapoto mahārṇave

Translation

Er versank in einem Ozean der Sorge, gab jede Hoffnung auf Leben und Reichtum auf—wie ein fahrender Kaufmann, dessen Schiff im tiefen, weiten Meer zerbrochen ist.

Word by Word

• चिन्ता: anxiety
• चिन्ता: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• अर्णवे: in the ocean of anxiety
• अर्णवे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular); समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘चिन्तायाः अर्णवः’ → ‘चिन्तार्णव’ (ocean of anxiety)

• निमग्नः: submerged, sunk
• निमग्नः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-मग्न (कृदन्त; मग् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; विशेषण (of implied ‘सः’)

• अभूत्: became/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• त्यक्ताशः: having abandoned hope
• त्यक्ताशः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त + आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘त्यक्त’ + ‘आशा’; बहुव्रीहि ‘यस्य आशा त्यक्ता’ (one whose hope is abandoned); पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन

• जीविते: in (regard to) life
• जीविते: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular)

• धने: in (regard to) wealth
• धने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular)

• सांयात्रिकः: a traveler/merchant-voyager
• सांयात्रिकः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांयात्रिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• इव: like
• इव: Upama-dyotaka (Comparative particle/उपमा-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक निपात (particle of comparison: like/as)

• अगाधे: in the unfathomable (deep)
• अगाधे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अगाध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular); विशेषण (of ‘महार्णवे’)

• भिन्नपोतः: with a broken boat
• भिन्नपोतः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न + पोत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘भिन्न’ + ‘पोत’; कर्मधारय ‘भिन्नः पोतः’ (broken boat); पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘सांयात्रिकः’)

• महार्णवे: in the great ocean
• महार्णवे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular); समास: कर्मधारय ‘महान् अर्णवः’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical frame; not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A despairing man is shown as if drowning in a dark ocean; nearby, a merchant’s shattered ship drifts in vast waters, symbolizing broken hopes and lost wealth.

Characters & Entities

• A brāhmaṇa/seeker (implied subject)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly dependence collapses like a broken ship; the Purāṇas use such imagery to turn the mind toward divine refuge and dharmic resolve.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative setup within the Kāśī context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse portrays an internal state (ciṃtā) through a sea-voyage metaphor.