Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

वाराणस्यां प्रयागे वा पुष्करे वाथ नैमिषे । प्रभासे वाऽथ केदारे ह्यन्यस्मिन्नहि वांछ्यते

Transliteration

vārāṇasyāṃ prayāge vā puṣkare vātha naimiṣe | prabhāse vā'tha kedāre hyanyasminnahi vāṃchyate

Translation

Entah di Vārāṇasī, atau di Prayāga, atau di Puṣkara, atau di Naimiṣa; entah di Prabhāsa atau di Kedāra—sesungguhnya tiada tempat lain yang diinginkan melebihi tīrtha-tīrtha termasyhur ini.

Word by Word

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रयागे: in Prayāga
• प्रयागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• पुष्करे: in Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• अथ: and/then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequencing particle: 'then/and')

• नैमिषे: in Naimiṣa
• नैमिषे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• अथ: and/then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequencing particle: 'then/and')

• केदारे: in Kedāra
• केदारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kedāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle: 'indeed')

• अन्यस्मिन्: in another (place)
• अन्यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• अहि: not (at all)
• अहि: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na + hi (अव्यय + अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध + निश्चयार्थक-निपात; sandhi: न + हि → नहि/अहि (negation: 'not indeed')

• वाञ्छ्यते: is desired/sought
• वाञ्छ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vañch (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pan-tīrtha enumeration (Kāśī–Prayāga–Puṣkara–Naimiṣa–Prabhāsa–Kedāra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative tableau of a pilgrim-scholar reciting a litany of famed tīrthas, with emblematic vignettes: Kāśī ghāṭas, Prayāga saṅgama, Puṣkara lake, Naimiṣa forest-chakra, Prabhāsa seashore-temple, Kedāra snowy peak-shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Prayāga
• Puṣkara
• Naimiṣa
• Prabhāsa
• Kedāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic worldview celebrates a sacred map of India: renowned tīrthas are held as supremely desirable for dharma, purification, and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), Prayāga, Puṣkara, Naimiṣa, Prabhāsa, and Kedāra are explicitly praised as foremost tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is specified here; the verse functions as tīrtha-stuti (praise) encouraging pilgrimage to these major sacred sites.