Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सा पुरी जनसंकीर्णा नानारत्नोपशोभिता । वाराणसीति विख्याता गङ्गातीरमुपाश्रिता

Transliteration

sā purī janasaṃkīrṇā nānāratnopaśobhitā | vārāṇasīti vikhyātā gaṅgātīramupāśritā

Translation

Cette cité était pleine de foule et resplendissait de joyaux de toutes sortes. Elle était renommée Vārāṇasī et reposait sur la rive de la sainte Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

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

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जन-संकीर्णा: crowded with people
• जन-संकीर्णा: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक) + संकीर्ण (कृदन्त; √कॄ/किर्?; here adjectival past participle sense 'mixed/filled')
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जनैः/जनस्य संकीर्णा—'crowded with people')

• नाना-रत्न-उपशोभिता: adorned with various jewels
• नाना-रत्न-उपशोभिता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-विशेषण) + रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + उपशोभित (कृदन्त; √शुभ्/शोभ् with उप-; past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (नानारत्नैः उपशोभिता—'adorned by various jewels')

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Samjna/Predicate nominative (संज्ञा/विशेष्य-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• विख्याता: renowned/known
• विख्याता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-ख्यात (कृदन्त; √ख्या 'to be known'; past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• गङ्गा-तीरम्: the bank of the Ganges
• गङ्गा-तीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः तीरम्)

• उपाश्रिता: situated on/resorting to
• उपाश्रिता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-आश्रित (कृदन्त; √श्रि 'to resort'; past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; (गङ्गातीरम्) उपाश्रिता—'having resorted to/located on'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) / Gaṅgā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A jewel-bright, crowded sacred city on the Gaṅgā’s bank; stepped ghāṭas, boats, pilgrims, and distant temple spires under a luminous sky.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A kṣetra’s outer splendor is presented as a reflection of its inner sanctity—Vārāṇasī is set apart as a famed sacred city on the Gaṅgā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), specifically its Gaṅgā riverbank setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse provides kṣetra-varṇana (sacred place description) that commonly supports later instructions like snāna and dāna.