Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

नरनारायणं तीर्थं नरनारायणात्पुरः । तत्र तीर्थे कृतस्नानो नरो नारायणो भवेत्

Transliteration

naranārāyaṇaṃ tīrthaṃ naranārāyaṇātpuraḥ | tatra tīrthe kṛtasnāno naro nārāyaṇo bhavet

Translation

Vor Nara-Nārāyaṇa liegt das Nara-Nārāyaṇa-Tīrtha. Wer in diesem Tīrtha badet, wird Nārāyaṇa-gleich, erfüllt von göttlicher Heilsfülle.

Word by Word

• नरनारायणम्: Nara-Nārāyaṇa
• नरनारायणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-नारायण (प्रातिपदिक; नर + नारायण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular (name of deity/compound)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• नरनारायणात्: from Nara-Nārāyaṇa
• नरनारायणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-नारायण (प्रातिपदिक; नर + नारायण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन — Masculine, Ablative singular

• पुरः: in front (of)
• पुरः: Adhikarana (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — indeclinable adverb/preposition ‘in front’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — adverb of place

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• कृतस्नानः: having bathed
• कृतस्नानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत-स्नान (प्रातिपदिक; कृत (कृ धातु) + स्नान)
• Form: कृदन्त (कृत-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Past participial adjective, Masculine, Nominative singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• नारायणः: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (predicate nominative)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd person singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nara-Nārāyaṇa-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before a shrine of Nara-Nārāyaṇa, a clear tīrtha pool/ghat; a pilgrim steps into the water with folded hands, while the twin sages’ divine presence is suggested as luminous forms above the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Nara-Nārāyaṇa
• Nara-Nārāyaṇa-tīrtha
• snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a tīrtha through snāna is described as transformative, elevating the devotee toward divine qualities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nara-Nārāyaṇa-tīrtha, located before the Nara-Nārāyaṇa deity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the Nara-Nārāyaṇa-tīrtha.