Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

घंटाकर्ण ह्रदे स्नात्वा दृष्ट्वा व्यासेश्वरं विभुम् । यत्र कुत्र विपन्नोपि वाराणस्यां मृतो भवेत्

Transliteration

ghaṃṭākarṇa hrade snātvā dṛṣṭvā vyāseśvaraṃ vibhum | yatra kutra vipannopi vārāṇasyāṃ mṛto bhavet

Translation

Having bathed in the Gaṇṭākarṇa lake and having beheld the majestic Vyāseśvara, even if one meets misfortune anywhere, one will attain death in Vārāṇasī as a blessed end.

Word by Word

• घण्टाकर्ण: at Ghaṇṭākarṇa (place/name)
• घण्टाकर्ण: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घण्टा-कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; (पाठभेदे ‘घण्टाकर्णे’)

• ह्रदे: in the lake
• ह्रदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having bathed’

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त, ‘having seen’

• व्यासेश्वरम्: Vyāseśvara (Śiva)
• व्यासेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विभुम्: the mighty, all-pervading
• विभुम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘व्यासेश्वरम्’ इत्यस्य

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb): ‘where’

• कुत्र: anywhere
• कुत्र: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (interrog./indef. adverb): ‘anywhere’ (with yatra)

• विपन्नः: fallen into distress, unfortunate
• विपन्नः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपन्न (प्रातिपदिक; √पद्/पद् with vi-, past part. sense)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अध्याहृतस्य ‘सः/जनः’)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle): ‘even’

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मृतः: dead
• मृतः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (प्रातिपदिक; √मृ (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भवेत्’ इत्यस्य पूरक (predicate)

• भवेत्: would become / may be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṇṭākarṇa-hrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe in a serene lake named Gaṇṭākarṇa; nearby stands the Vyāseśvara shrine. A subtle destiny-thread leads from the lake to the ghāṭs of Kāśī, symbolizing the promised sacred death.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇṭākarṇa Hrada
• Vyāseśvara
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas and liṅgas are described as conferring protective grace and an auspicious culmination of life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṇṭākarṇa Hrada (lake) and the Vyāseśvara liṅga in Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Gaṇṭākarṇa Hrada and darśana of Vyāseśvara.