Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

तीर्थमन्यत्प्रशंसंति गंगातीरे स्थिताश्च ये । गंगां न बहु मन्यंते ते स्युर्निरयगामिनः

Transliteration

tīrthamanyatpraśaṃsaṃti gaṃgātīre sthitāśca ye | gaṃgāṃ na bahu manyaṃte te syurnirayagāminaḥ

Translation

Ceux qui, demeurant sur la rive de la Gaṅgā, louent d’autres tīrthas et ne tiennent pas la Gaṅgā en haute estime, ceux-là sont voués à l’enfer.

Word by Word

• तीर्थम्: a pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अन्यत्: another
• अन्यत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying tīrtham)

• प्रशंसन्ति: praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• गंगातीरे: on the bank of the Gaṅgā
• गंगातीरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः गङ्गायाः तीरम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• स्थिताः: standing, residing
• स्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित (प्रातिपदिक; √स्था)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• गंगाम्: the Gaṅgā
• गंगाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• बहु: much, greatly
• बहु: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहु (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिमाण-अव्यय (adverb) ‘much/greatly’

• मन्यन्ते: consider, esteem
• मन्यन्ते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• स्युः: would be
• स्युः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• निरयगामिनः: goers to hell
• निरयगामिनः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरय + गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः निरयं गच्छन्ति इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Gaṅgā bank, a resident points away praising distant tīrthas while ignoring Gaṅgā; behind him, a shadowy naraka path appears as a moral allegory; Gaṅgā remains radiant yet stern.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Tīrtha
• Niraya (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proximity to holiness demands reverence; ingratitude or contempt toward the Gaṅgā is treated as a serious spiritual fault.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā-tīra (banks of the Gaṅgā), within the Kāśī sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the instruction is ethical-devotional: uphold the Gaṅgā’s supremacy and do not disparage her.