Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

पुरुषार्थाश्च सर्वे वै शक्तयो विविधाश्च याः । गंगायां सर्व एवैते सूक्ष्मरूपेण संस्थिताः

Transliteration

puruṣārthāśca sarve vai śaktayo vividhāśca yāḥ | gaṃgāyāṃ sarva evaite sūkṣmarūpeṇa saṃsthitāḥ

Translation

All the aims of human life indeed, and the many kinds of spiritual powers—every one of these abides within the Gaṅgā, established there in subtle form.

Word by Word

• पुरुषार्थाः: human goals (dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa)
• पुरुषार्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुरुषस्य अर्थाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• शक्तयः: powers, energies
• शक्तयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विविधाः: various
• विविधाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; शक्तयः इति विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• याः: which
• याः: Anvaya (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• गंगायाम्: in the Ganga
• गंगायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; एते इति विशेषणम्

• एव: certainly, just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (restrictive/emphatic particle)

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• सूक्ष्मरूपेण: in subtle form
• सूक्ष्मरूपेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूक्ष्म-रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (सूक्ष्मं रूपम्)

• संस्थिताः: are situated/abide
• संस्थिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) + स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; धातुः √स्था (to stand) उपसर्गः सम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī-Gaṅgā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide Gaṅgā vista at dawn in Kāśī: the river rendered as a luminous goddess whose subtle aura contains symbolic emblems of the four puruṣārthas and radiating siddhi-śaktis, while pilgrims stand in reverent stillness on the ghāṭas.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Puruṣārtha
• Śakti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā is a complete path-support—she holds within herself the full spectrum of human flourishing up to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā, especially as revered in Kāśī, as the subtle seat of puruṣārthas and śaktis.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not explicit; the verse underwrites practices like Gaṅgā-snāna, japa, and tīrtha-sevā as means to attain puruṣārthas.