Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

जाह्नवी ज्या जगन्माता जप्या जंघालवीचिका । जया जनार्दनप्रीता जुषणीया जगद्धिता

Transliteration

jāhnavī jyā jaganmātā japyā jaṃghālavīcikā | jayā janārdanaprītā juṣaṇīyā jagaddhitā

Translation

She is Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā); she is the bowstring of strength; she is the Mother of the world and the one to be invoked in japa. She is the victorious one, beloved of Janārdana; she is to be cherished and served, the benefactress of the entire world.

Word by Word

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (the Ganges)
• जाह्नवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नदी-नाम (Ganga epithet)

• ज्या: bowstring; (also) line/cord
• ज्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपदत्वात् अव्यक्त-विभक्ति (in compound)

• माता: mother
• माता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; मातृ-शब्द (mother)

• जगन्माता: mother of the world
• जगन्माता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + माता (समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः माता)

• जप्या: to be recited (in japa)
• जप्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जप् (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त; य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (to be muttered/recited; worthy of japa)

• जंघाल: swift/strong-legged (jāṅghala)
• जंघाल: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जंघाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपदत्वात् अव्यक्त-विभक्ति (in compound)

• वीचिका: little wave, ripple
• वीचिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीचिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जंघालवीचिका: swift ripple/wavelet
• जंघालवीचिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जंघाल + वीचिका (समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (जंघाला इव/जंघाला-स्वभावा वीचिका)

• जया: Victory; Jayā (name)
• जया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जनार्दन: Janārdana (Vishnu)
• जनार्दन: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपदत्वात् अव्यक्त-विभक्ति (in compound)

• प्रीता: pleased; beloved
• प्रीता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्री (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (pleased, dear)

• जनार्दनप्रीता: beloved of Janārdana
• जनार्दनप्रीता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जनार्दन + प्रीता (समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जनार्दनस्य प्रीता)

• जुषणीया: worthy to be enjoyed/served
• जुषणीया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जुष् (धातु) + अनीयर् (कृदन्त; potential passive)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनीयर्-प्रत्ययान्त (to be enjoyed/served; worthy of acceptance)

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपदत्वात् अव्यक्त-विभक्ति (in compound)

• हिता: beneficial
• हिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हित (प्रातिपदिक; from धा 'to place' with क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (beneficial)

• जगद्धिता: beneficial to the world
• जगद्धिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जगत् + हिता (समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः हिता)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) in Kāśī

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / tīrtha-yātrins in the narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā as the world-mother, with a japa-mālā in hand; Viṣṇu/Janārdana shown blessing her or receiving her devotion; devotees chanting on Kāśī ghāṭas.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Śakti)
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Kāśī (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, the sacred Gaṅgā and the Goddess are seen as world-mother and world-benefactor; japa and service align the devotee with universal welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā in Kāśī (Jāhnavī) is directly invoked, tying the hymn to Vārāṇasī’s sacred river geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa is explicitly implied by the epithet japyā—she is ‘to be recited/invoked’.