Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

ततः प्रणवतीर्थं च सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमम् । जीवन्मुक्तो भवेत्तत्र स्नानमात्रेण मानवः

Transliteration

tataḥ praṇavatīrthaṃ ca sarvatīrthottamottamam | jīvanmukto bhavettatra snānamātreṇa mānavaḥ

Translation

Vient ensuite le Pranava Tīrtha, le plus sublime des lieux saints. Par le seul bain en ce lieu, l’homme devient jīvanmukta, libéré tout en vivant.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kala (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमवाचक (ablatival adverb) — ‘thereafter/from there’

• praṇava-tīrtham: the Praṇava-tīrtha
• praṇava-tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (praṇavasya tīrtham)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• sarva-tīrtha-uttama-uttamam: the supreme best among all sacred places
• sarva-tīrtha-uttama-uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; ‘सर्वतीर्थेषु उत्तमानाम् अपि उत्तमम्’ (best of the best among all tīrthas)

• jīvan-muktaḥ: liberated while alive
• jīvan-muktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jīvat (प्रातिपदिक) + mukta (प्रातिपदिक/क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः — ‘जीवन् एव मुक्तः’ (liberated while living)

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tatra: there
• tatra: Desha (Location/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• snāna-mātreṇa: by mere bathing
• snāna-mātreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः — ‘स्नानस्य मात्रया’ (by mere bathing)

• mānavaḥ: a human being
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Praṇava Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Praṇava Tīrtha at dawn: a pilgrim bathes; above the water appears a luminous Oṃ formed from light, merging with a subtle Śiva presence; the devotee’s face shows sudden stillness and clarity, indicating jīvanmukti; surrounding ghats fade into a serene, timeless atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Praṇava Tīrtha
• Oṃ (Praṇava)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is celebrated as a mokṣa-kṣetra where liberation is made accessible—symbolized by Praṇava (Oṃ), the essence of the Absolute.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Praṇava Tīrtha, acclaimed as the highest among tīrthas in this Kāśī listing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna alone at Praṇava Tīrtha is said to confer jīvanmukti.