Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

वाराणसी पुरीत्येका द्वितीया द्वारकापुरी । अवन्त्याख्या तृतीया च विश्रुता भुवनत्रये

Transliteration

vārāṇasī purītyekā dvitīyā dvārakāpurī | avantyākhyā tṛtīyā ca viśrutā bhuvanatraye

Translation

Vārāṇasī est célébrée comme la première cité sacrée ; la seconde est Dvārakāpurī ; et la troisième, renommée dans les trois mondes, est appelée Avantī (Ujjayinī).

Word by Word

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta-predicative (उद्देश्य/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नगरनाम (proper noun)

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta-predicative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/निरूपणार्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एका: the first/one
• एका: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण (numeral adjective)

• द्वितीया: the second
• द्वितीया: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• द्वारकापुरी: Dvārakā-city (Dvārakā)
• द्वारकापुरी: Karta-predicative (उद्देश्य/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: द्वारकायाः पुरी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नगरनाम

• अवन्ती: Avantī
• अवन्ती: Karta-predicative (उद्देश्य/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवन्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नगरनाम

• आख्या: named/called
• आख्या: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘आख्या’ = नाम्ना प्रसिद्धा (named/called)

• तृतीया: the third
• तृतीया: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विश्रुता: well-known
• विश्रुता: Karta-predicative (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्रुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त-प्राय (well-known)

• भुवनत्रये: in the three worlds
• भुवनत्रये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुवन (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः/अधिकरण: त्रयेषु भुवनेषु); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puri-traya: Vārāṇasī, Dvārakā, Avantī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tri-city mandala: Kāśī with Gaṅgā ghāṭs and Viśvanātha; Dvārakā with sea, city-gates, and Kṛṣṇa’s temple; Avantī with Shiprā river and Mahākāla shrine—arranged as three luminous jewels on the earth.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Dvārakā
• Avantī (Ujjayinī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma elevates certain cities as universally sanctifying; remembering and visiting them is presented as a direct means to accrue merit (puṇya).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Three foremost Purīs: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), Dvārakā, and Avantī (Ujjayinī/Ujjain).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it establishes the hierarchy and fame of the sacred cities.