Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

निर्वाणनरसिंहोयं भक्तनिर्वाणकारणम् । मणिप्रदीपनागोयं महामणिविभूषणः

Transliteration

nirvāṇanarasiṃhoyaṃ bhaktanirvāṇakāraṇam | maṇipradīpanāgoyaṃ mahāmaṇivibhūṣaṇaḥ

Translation

This is Narasiṃha who grants liberation—indeed, the very cause of the devotees’ nirvāṇa. This is the serpent that shines like a jeweled lamp, adorned with great gems.

Word by Word

• निर्वाणनरसिंहः: Narasimha (as) liberation (giver)
• निर्वाणनरसिंहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण + नरसिंह (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भक्तनिर्वाणकारणम्: the cause of devotees' liberation
• भक्तनिर्वाणकारणम्: Karta-predicate (विधेय/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त + निर्वाण + कारण (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• मणिप्रदीपनागः: the serpent (Nāga) with jewel-lamps
• मणिप्रदीपनागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणि + प्रदीप + नाग (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• महामणिविभूषणः: adorned with great jewels
• महामणिविभूषणः: Karta-predicate (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + मणि + विभूषण (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narasiṃha (Kāśī context; specific tīrtha/shrine implied)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce-yet-protective Narasiṃha form radiating light; beside or beneath, a great nāga coiled like a lamp-stand, its hood glowing as if a jeweled flame, gems studding its body; devotees in añjali nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Narasiṃha
• Nāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is portrayed as accessible through bhakti, with divine forms presented as direct causes of devotees’ mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, aligning mokṣa-imagery with the sanctity of Kāśī as a liberation-giving kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; it is devotional-theological praise.