Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

ततः पंचनदाख्यं वै सर्वतीर्थनिषेवितम् । तीर्थं यत्र नरः स्नात्वा न संसारी पुनर्भवेत्

Transliteration

tataḥ paṃcanadākhyaṃ vai sarvatīrthaniṣevitam | tīrthaṃ yatra naraḥ snātvā na saṃsārī punarbhavet

Translation

Ensuite vient le tīrtha nommé Pañcanada, fréquenté par tous les lieux saints. Celui qui s’y baigne ne se trouve plus lié au saṃsāra, le cycle des renaissances.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter / from there
• ततः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक (from there/thereafter)

• पञ्चनदाख्यम्: named ‘Pañcanada’
• पञ्चनदाख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + नद (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (पञ्चनद इति आख्यं यस्य तत्)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• सर्वतीर्थनिषेवितम्: frequented/served by all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थनिषेवितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + नि+सेव् (धातु) → निषेवित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘निषेवित’ = सेवितम्; तत्पुरुष: सर्वैः तीर्थैः निषेवितम् (visited/served by all tīrthas)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (Object or complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative locative adverb: where)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having bathed’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• संसारी: a transmigrating being
• संसारी: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक (one who is in saṃsāra)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again)

• भवेत्: would become / would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand Kāśī ghat where five sacred currents are symbolically shown converging; personified tīrthas arrive like radiant beings to bathe; a pilgrim emerges from the water with a liberated, serene gaze.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcanada Tīrtha
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest fruit of tīrtha-sevā in Kāśī is liberation: bathing at the foremost ford is praised as ending rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada Tīrtha, portrayed as a confluence-like supreme tīrtha within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Pañcanada Tīrtha for freedom from saṃsāra.