Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

ममैव सा परामूर्तिस्तोयरूपा शिवात्मिका । ब्रह्मांडानामनेकानामाधारः प्रकृतिः परा

Transliteration

mamaiva sā parāmūrtistoyarūpā śivātmikā | brahmāṃḍānāmanekānāmādhāraḥ prakṛtiḥ parā

Translation

That Gaṅgā is truly My own supreme manifestation—formed as water and of Śiva’s very essence. She is the transcendent Prakṛti, the sustaining support of countless cosmic spheres (brahmāṇḍas).

Word by Word

• मम: of me / my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• परा-मूर्तिः: the supreme form
• परा-मूर्तिः: Pradhana (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय-समास (descriptive)

• तोय-रूपा: water-formed, of the nature of water
• तोय-रूपा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष-समास (of-water → watery)

• शिव-आत्मिका: having Śiva as her essence
• शिव-आत्मिका: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन्/आत्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष-समास (Śiva as essence)

• ब्रह्माण्डानाम्: of the universes (cosmic eggs)
• ब्रह्माण्डानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अनेकानाम्: of many
• अनेकानाम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• आधारः: support, foundation
• आधारः: Pradhana (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकृतिः: Prakṛti, primordial nature
• प्रकृतिः: Pradhana (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• परा: supreme
• परा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī-Gaṅgā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viṣṇu / divine interlocutor (context continues addressing Viṣṇu)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva reveals Gaṅgā as his own supreme water-form, shown as a luminous river emerging from matted locks, flowing through a cosmic panorama of multiple brahmāṇḍas supported by her current.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Gaṅgā is not merely a river but a supreme divine manifestation rooted in Śiva-tattva, worthy of reverence as transcendent reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā as worshipped and encountered in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), central to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes theological identity—Gaṅgā as divine—forming the basis for later practices like darśana and snāna.