Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

गौरीकुंडं यथा तत्र हंसतीर्थं च निर्मलम् । यथा मधुस्रवा गंगा काश्यां तदखिलं तथा

Transliteration

gaurīkuṃḍaṃ yathā tatra haṃsatīrthaṃ ca nirmalam | yathā madhusravā gaṃgā kāśyāṃ tadakhilaṃ tathā

Translation

Wie es dort Gaurīkuṇḍa und das reine Haṃsatīrtha gibt, und wie dort die Gaṅgā honigsüß dahinströmt—ebenso findet sich all dies in Kāśī.

Word by Word

• गौरीकुण्डम्: Gaurī-kuṇḍa (Gaurī’s pond)
• गौरीकुण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: गौर्याः कुण्डम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative: 'as/just as')

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'there')

• हंसतीर्थम्: Haṃsa-tīrtha
• हंसतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: हंसस्य तीर्थम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction: 'and')

• निर्मलम्: pure
• निर्मलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of तीर्थम्/कुण्डम्)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative)

• मधुस्रवा: honey-flowing
• मधुस्रवा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + स्रवा (√स्रु धातु से स्त्री. विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: मधु इव स्रवति (honey-flowing); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of गङ्गा)

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशक

• अखिलम्: all, entire
• अखिलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• तथा: so/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlation/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतावाचक-अव्यय (correlative: 'so, likewise')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa default narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaurīkuṇḍa / Haṃsatīrtha / Madhusravā Gaṅgā (as present in Kāśī)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience (ṛṣis/pilgrims)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cartographic-sacred vision: Kāśī’s ghāṭas and shrines subtly transform into Himalayan tīrthas—Gaurīkuṇḍa, Haṃsatīrtha, and a honey-sweet Gaṅgā—showing ‘all of that’ present here.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurīkuṇḍa
• Haṃsatīrtha
• Gaṅgā
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a spiritual ‘all-in-one’ pilgrimage field where the merits of renowned tīrthas are made present.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Avimukta), presented as containing equivalents of Gaurīkuṇḍa, Haṃsatīrtha, and the sanctifying Gaṅgā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse establishes tīrtha-equivalence to encourage pilgrimage and devotion in Kāśī.