Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

अहो कथं हि सा लभ्या यत्प्रभावोयमीदृशः । धिग्जन्म तेषां मर्त्येऽस्मिन्यैर्नैक्षि ज्ञानवापिका

Transliteration

aho kathaṃ hi sā labhyā yatprabhāvoyamīdṛśaḥ | dhigjanma teṣāṃ martye'sminyairnaikṣi jñānavāpikā

Translation

Alas—how can that (holy well) be attained, whose power is so extraordinary? Fie upon the birth of those mortals in this world who have not even seen Jñānavāpī.

Word by Word

• अहो: ah! / oh!
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक-अव्यय (interjection)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

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

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लभ्या: obtainable
• लभ्या: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √लभ् (धातु); यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्यय (लभ्य = obtainable)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (potential passive participle)

• यत्-प्रभावः: whose power
• यत्-प्रभावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यस्य प्रभावः)

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

• ईदृशः: such / of this kind
• ईदृशः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धिग्: shame on
• धिग्: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिग् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दावाचक-निपात (particle of censure)

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (Object of censure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तेषाम्: of those (people)
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• मर्त्ये: in the mortal world
• मर्त्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• ऐक्षि: you saw
• ऐक्षि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ज्ञान-वापिका: the well/pond of knowledge
• ज्ञान-वापिका: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + वापिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ज्ञानस्य वापिका)

Speaker

Kalāvatī’s attendants (addressing her)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānavāpī

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Attendants exclaim in wonder, hands raised in astonishment and devotion, lamenting those who never beheld Jñānavāpī; the sacred well is imagined as radiant in the mind’s eye.

Characters & Entities

• Jñānavāpī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is considered fulfilled by tīrtha-darśana; neglecting sacred opportunities is portrayed as a loss of rare spiritual fortune.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jñānavāpī in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: seek darśana (visit and behold) of Jñānavāpī to partake of its praised prabhāva.