Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

आगत्य दृष्ट्वा मणिकर्णिकायामुदग्वहां स्वर्गतरंगिणीं सः । संक्षीणपुण्येतरपुण्यकर्मणां नृणां गणैः स्थाणुगणैरिवावृताम्

Transliteration

āgatya dṛṣṭvā maṇikarṇikāyāmudagvahāṃ svargataraṃgiṇīṃ saḥ | saṃkṣīṇapuṇyetarapuṇyakarmaṇāṃ nṛṇāṃ gaṇaiḥ sthāṇugaṇairivāvṛtām

Translation

Étant arrivé, il vit à Maṇikarṇikā le fleuve porteur du ciel, aux vagues célestes, entouré de foules d’hommes dont les actes mêlés de mérite et de démérite s’étaient épuisés, tels des troupes de gaṇa de Śiva rassemblées autour.

Word by Word

• आगत्य: having come
• आगत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√गम् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having come)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• मणिकर्णिकायाम्: at Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• उदग्वहाम्: water-bearing, flowing (river)
• उदग्वहाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + वहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (उदकं वहति इति)

• स्वर्गतरङ्गिणीम्: the heavenly river
• स्वर्गतरङ्गिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + तरङ्गिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य तरङ्गिणी)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• संक्षीणपुण्येतरपुण्यकर्मणाम्: of men whose merit and other (demerit/other) karmas are exhausted
• संक्षीणपुण्येतरपुण्यकर्मणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षीण (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + इतर (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (पुण्यं च इतरपुण्यं च येषां कर्म) + ‘संक्षीण’ विशेषण; ‘नृणाम्’ विशेषयति

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• गणैः: by groups
• गणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• स्थाणुगणैः: by groups of pillars (tree-stumps)
• स्थाणुगणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्थाणूनां गणाः)

• इव: as if, like
• इव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-निपात (comparative particle)

• आवृताम्: covered, surrounded
• आवृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-√वृ (धातु) + क्त (भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘स्वर्गतरङ्गिणीम्’ विशेषयति

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The pilgrim arrives at Maṇikarṇikā: the Gaṅgā glitters with ‘heavenly waves’; dense crowds line the steps; smoke and lamps mingle; the multitude appears like Śiva’s gaṇas encircling a sacred center.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• Śiva-gaṇa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Maṇikarṇikā is portrayed as a liberating sacred zone where karmic burdens are brought to exhaustion in the radiance of Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā (the famed Kāśī tīrtha/ghāṭa associated with liberation).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse magnifies the tīrtha’s salvific power and its gathered pilgrims.