Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

त्वत्तो न वेदस्कंदान्यो गंगागर्भ समुद्भव । परं स्वर्गतरंगिण्या महिमानं महामते

Transliteration

tvatto na vedaskaṃdānyo gaṃgāgarbha samudbhava | paraṃ svargataraṃgiṇyā mahimānaṃ mahāmate

Translation

Nul autre que toi, ô Skanda—né du sein de la Gaṅgā—ne connaît pleinement la grandeur suprême de la rivière céleste, ô noble esprit.

Word by Word

• त्वत्तः: than you / from you
• त्वत्तः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• वेद: knows
• वेद: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्कन्द: O Skanda
• स्कन्द: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• गङ्गा: Ganga
• गङ्गा: Qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• गर्भ: womb
• गर्भ: Qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• समुद्भव: O one born from Ganga’s womb
• समुद्भव: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; सम्-उद्-√भू (धातु) + अच्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; (गङ्गा-गर्भ-समुद्भव = ‘born from the womb of Ganga’)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• स्वर्ग: heaven
• स्वर्ग: Qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• तरङ्गिण्याः: of the heavenly river
• तरङ्गिण्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरङ्गिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; (स्वर्ग-तरङ्गिण्याः = ‘of the heavenly river’)

• महिमानम्: greatness
• महिमानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; (महान् मतिः यस्य)

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (svarga-taraṅgiṇī)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hymn-like assertion: Skanda, linked to Gaṅgā’s womb, stands as the singular knower of the river’s supreme greatness; Gaṅgā appears as a celestial river with shining waves.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Skanda
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scriptural authority is rooted in divine intimacy: Skanda is praised as uniquely qualified to reveal Gaṅgā’s greatness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘svarga-taraṅgiṇī’—the Gaṅgā, envisioned as a heavenly river manifest in the world.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is stuti (praise) establishing Skanda’s competence to teach Gaṅgā-related dharma.