Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

वाराणसी प्रयागं च नैमिषं चापरं तथा । गयाशिरः सुपुण्यं च पवित्रं कुरुजांगलम्

Transliteration

vārāṇasī prayāgaṃ ca naimiṣaṃ cāparaṃ tathā | gayāśiraḥ supuṇyaṃ ca pavitraṃ kurujāṃgalam

Translation

Vārāṇasī et Prayāga ; Naimiṣa aussi, ainsi que d’autres lieux saints : Gayāśiras, au mérite suprême ; et la terre pure de Kuru-jāṅgala.

Word by Word

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• प्रयागम्: Prayāga
• प्रयागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• नैमिषम्: Naimiṣa
• नैमिषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• अपरम्: another
• अपरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; नैमिषम् विशेषण (another)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (also)

• गयाशिरः: Gayāśiras (Gayā’s summit)
• गयाशिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (गया-शिरस् = ‘head/top of Gayā’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• सुपुण्यम्: very meritorious/holy
• सुपुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सु-पुण्य = ‘very holy’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; गयाशिरः विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• पवित्रम्: pure, sacred
• पवित्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कुरुजांगलम् विशेषण

• कुरुजांगलम्: Kurujāṅgala
• कुरुजांगलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + जाङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुरु-जाङ्गल = ‘the forest-region of the Kurus’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; देश/तीर्थ-नाम

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī; Prayāga; Naimiṣa; Gayāśiras; Kuru-jāṅgala

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ‘garland-map’ montage: five vignettes—Kāśī ghāṭas with Viśvanātha spire; Prayāga sangam with three rivers; Naimiṣa forest with sages; Gayā with piṇḍa offerings; Kuru-jāṅgala with dharma banners and a sacred field.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Prayāga
• Naimiṣa (Naimiṣāraṇya)
• Gayāśiras
• Kuru-jāṅgala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma maps salvation and merit onto geography: certain places are celebrated as concentrated fields of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), Prayāga, Naimiṣa, Gayāśiras, and Kuru-jāṅgala are explicitly named as eminent tīrthas/holy regions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is described in this verse; it functions as a named enumeration for pilgrimage remembrance and future visitation.