Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

सिताऽसिते सरिच्छ्रेष्ठे यत्रास्तां सुरदुर्लभे । यत्राप्लुतो नरः पापः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति

Transliteration

sitā'site saricchreṣṭhe yatrāstāṃ suradurlabhe | yatrāpluto naraḥ pāpaḥ paraṃ brahmādhigacchati

Translation

Là, où demeurent les excellentes rivières Sitā et Asitā, rares même pour les dieux, tout homme pécheur qui s’y baigne atteint le Brahman suprême.

Word by Word

• सिता: (the river) Sitā
• सिता: Karta (Subject within relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• असिता: (the river) Asitā
• असिता: Karta (Co-subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• सरित्-श्रेष्ठे: in the best of rivers
• सरित्-श्रेष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (श्रेष्ठ-शब्दानुसार), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: सरितां श्रेष्ठे (in the best of rivers)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Relative location marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• आस्ताम्: let (the two) abide/are
• आस्ताम्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘let the two be/abide’

• सुर-दुर्लभे: hard to obtain even for gods
• सुर-दुर्लभे: Adhikarana (Qualifier of location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ: सुरैः दुर्लभे/सुराणां दुर्लभे; विशेषणं (सरित्श्रेष्ठे)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Relative location marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• आप्लुतः: having bathed
• आप्लुतः: Karta (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ- प्लु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘bathed/immersed’

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापः: sinful
• पापः: Karta (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणं नरस्य

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणं ब्रह्मणः

• ब्रह्म: Brahman
• ब्रह्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अधिगच्छति: attains
• अधिगच्छति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sitā–Asitā tīrtha (as named in verse)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two sacred rivers, Sitā and Asitā, flow with luminous clarity; a penitent pilgrim enters the water as celestial beings watch from above, suggesting a ‘suradurlabha’ sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Sitā (river)
• Asitā (river)
• Brahman
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred waters, approached with faith, are portrayed as powerful means of purification leading toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga is implied through its famed sacred river-confluences and river-tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing/immersion (snāna/āplavana) in the sacred rivers associated with the tīrtha.