Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

जलक्रीडां सदा कुर्यां ज्ञानवाप्यां सहोमया । यदंबुपानमात्रेण ज्ञानं जायेत निमर्लम्

Transliteration

jalakrīḍāṃ sadā kuryāṃ jñānavāpyāṃ sahomayā | yadaṃbupānamātreṇa jñānaṃ jāyeta nimarlam

Translation

«Stets spiele Ich im Wasser der Jñāna-vāpī, des Brunnens der Erkenntnis, zusammen mit Umā. Schon durch bloßes Trinken dieses Wassers entsteht makelloses, reines Wissen.»

Word by Word

• जलक्रीडाम्: water-sport, play in water
• जलक्रीडाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य क्रीडा)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• कुर्याम्: I should do / may I do
• कुर्याम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• ज्ञानवाप्याम्: in the knowledge-well (pool)
• ज्ञानवाप्याम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान + वापी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ज्ञानस्य वापी)

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-योगे अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable)

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), एकवचन

• यत्: which/that (by which)
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• अम्बुपानमात्रेण: by merely drinking water
• अम्बुपानमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु + पान + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (अम्बोः पानम्; तस्य मात्रम्)

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/भाव), एकवचन

• जायेत: would arise / should be born
• जायेत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदम्

• निर्मलम्: pure, stainless
• निर्मलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ज्ञानस्य)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānavāpī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue frame (traditionally sages/Skanda-Purāṇa interlocutors)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva with Umā sporting in the sacred well’s waters; the well glows with a subtle radiance, and a devotee receives a small palmful of water, eyes softened by dawning insight.

Characters & Entities

• Umā
• Jñānavāpī
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrtha-water is presented as a direct catalyst for inner purification and the arising of lucid spiritual knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jñānavāpī in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as a source of pure knowledge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Drinking the water of Jñānavāpī is stated to generate nirmala-jñāna (spotless knowledge).