Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

चिंतार्णवे निमग्नोभूत्त्यक्ताशो जीविते धने । सांयात्रिक इवागाधे भिन्नपोतो महार्णवे

Transliteration

ciṃtārṇave nimagnobhūttyaktāśo jīvite dhane | sāṃyātrika ivāgādhe bhinnapoto mahārṇave

Translation

Il s’enfonça dans un océan d’inquiétude, renonçant à l’espoir de la vie comme de la richesse, tel un marchand-voyageur dont le navire s’est brisé dans la mer profonde et vaste.

Word by Word

• चिन्ता: anxiety
• चिन्ता: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• अर्णवे: in the ocean of anxiety
• अर्णवे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular); समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘चिन्तायाः अर्णवः’ → ‘चिन्तार्णव’ (ocean of anxiety)

• निमग्नः: submerged, sunk
• निमग्नः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-मग्न (कृदन्त; मग् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; विशेषण (of implied ‘सः’)

• अभूत्: became/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• त्यक्ताशः: having abandoned hope
• त्यक्ताशः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त + आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘त्यक्त’ + ‘आशा’; बहुव्रीहि ‘यस्य आशा त्यक्ता’ (one whose hope is abandoned); पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन

• जीविते: in (regard to) life
• जीविते: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular)

• धने: in (regard to) wealth
• धने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular)

• सांयात्रिकः: a traveler/merchant-voyager
• सांयात्रिकः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांयात्रिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• इव: like
• इव: Upama-dyotaka (Comparative particle/उपमा-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक निपात (particle of comparison: like/as)

• अगाधे: in the unfathomable (deep)
• अगाधे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अगाध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular); विशेषण (of ‘महार्णवे’)

• भिन्नपोतः: with a broken boat
• भिन्नपोतः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न + पोत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘भिन्न’ + ‘पोत’; कर्मधारय ‘भिन्नः पोतः’ (broken boat); पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘सांयात्रिकः’)

• महार्णवे: in the great ocean
• महार्णवे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular); समास: कर्मधारय ‘महान् अर्णवः’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical frame; not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A despairing man is shown as if drowning in a dark ocean; nearby, a merchant’s shattered ship drifts in vast waters, symbolizing broken hopes and lost wealth.

Characters & Entities

• A brāhmaṇa/seeker (implied subject)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly dependence collapses like a broken ship; the Purāṇas use such imagery to turn the mind toward divine refuge and dharmic resolve.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative setup within the Kāśī context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse portrays an internal state (ciṃtā) through a sea-voyage metaphor.