Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कुतः पंचनदं नाम तस्य तीर्थस्य षण्मुख । कुतश्च सर्वतीर्थेभ्यस्तदासीत्पावनं परम्

Transliteration

kutaḥ paṃcanadaṃ nāma tasya tīrthasya ṣaṇmukha | kutaśca sarvatīrthebhyastadāsītpāvanaṃ param

Translation

Ô Ṣaṇmukha, pour quelle cause ce tīrtha reçut-il le nom de « Pañcanada » ? Et pour quelle raison devint-il le purificateur suprême parmi tous les gués sacrés ?

Word by Word

• कुतः: from where/why
• कुतः: Hetu/Prashna (Cause-query/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb: whence/why)

• पञ्चनदम्: Pañcanada
• पञ्चनदम्: Karma (Object of ‘name’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + नद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; नामरूपेण

• नाम: as the name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle: ‘called/namely’)

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तीर्थस्य: of the tīrtha
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• षण्मुख: O Six-faced one (Ṣaṇmukha)
• षण्मुख: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षण्मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (षण् मुखानि यस्य)

• कुतः: from where/why
• कुतः: Hetu/Prashna (Cause-query/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction: and)

• सर्व-तीर्थेभ्यः: from all tīrthas
• सर्व-तीर्थेभ्यः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि तीर्थानि)

• तत्: that (tīrtha)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पावनम्: purifying
• पावनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Agastya (addressing Skanda/Ṣaṇmukha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda) addressed by the questioner

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciple or sage addresses Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda) with folded hands, pointing toward a river-ford; the question hangs in the air as a narrative portal, with Kāśī’s ghats and temples in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda)
• Pañcanada Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are not random: their names and powers are rooted in divine events and dharmic causes, inviting inquiry and faithful understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada Tīrtha in Kāśī, whose name and exceptional purifying power are being requested for explanation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse functions as a formal question that introduces the tīrtha’s origin-story and merits.