Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मशापाग्निनिर्दग्धान्महादुर्गतिगानपि । विना त्रिमार्गगां विष्णो को जंतूंस्त्रिदिवं नयेत्

Transliteration

brahmaśāpāgninirdagdhānmahādurgatigānapi | vinā trimārgagāṃ viṣṇo ko jaṃtūṃstridivaṃ nayet

Translation

Même les êtres consumés par le feu de la malédiction de Brahmā, tombés en d’effroyables destinées—sans le Fleuve aux Trois Voies (Gaṅgā), ô Viṣṇu, qui pourrait mener de telles créatures au ciel ?

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मशापाग्निनिर्दग्धान्: burnt by the fire of Brahmā’s curse
• ब्रह्मशापाग्निनिर्दग्धान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्म + शाप + अग्नि + निर्दग्ध (प्रातिपदिक; √दह्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) ‘निर्दग्ध’; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• महादुर्गतिगान्: gone to a great misfortune (wretched state)
• महादुर्गतिगान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + दुर्गति + ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle (Modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: also/even)

• विना: without
• विना: Nishedha-sambandha (Exclusion marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद (preposition) — तृतीया/द्वितीया-सामर्थ्ये ‘without’

• त्रिमार्गगाम्: the three-pathed river (Gaṅgā)
• त्रिमार्गगाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + मार्ग + गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• विष्णो: O Viṣṇu
• विष्णो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• जन्तून्: creatures, beings
• जन्तून्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• त्रिदिवम्: to heaven (the threefold heaven)
• त्रिदिवम्: Gati/Karma (Destination as object/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• नयेत्: would lead
• नयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continuing speech in Adhyāya 27 context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Tri-mārgagā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viṣṇu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping theological image: Gaṅgā as the tri-path river spanning heaven, earth, and nether realms, lifting even curse-burned beings upward; Śiva’s narration to Viṣṇu underscores her unmatched salvific force.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (curse)
• Gaṅgā (Trimārgagā)
• Viṣṇu
• Tridiva (heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā is portrayed as uniquely salvific—capable of elevating even the severely afflicted and cursed toward heavenly states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā as Trimārgagā (the three-world river), foundational to the sanctity of Kāśī on her banks.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse asserts Gaṅgā’s indispensable saving power, implying the merit of contact such as snāna and śrāddha in her waters.