Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

आगत्य दृष्ट्वा मणिकर्णिकायामुदग्वहां स्वर्गतरंगिणीं सः । संक्षीणपुण्येतरपुण्यकर्मणां नृणां गणैः स्थाणुगणैरिवावृताम्

Transliteration

āgatya dṛṣṭvā maṇikarṇikāyāmudagvahāṃ svargataraṃgiṇīṃ saḥ | saṃkṣīṇapuṇyetarapuṇyakarmaṇāṃ nṛṇāṃ gaṇaiḥ sthāṇugaṇairivāvṛtām

Translation

そこに至り、彼はマニカルニカーにて、天を運び天の波をたたえる河を見た。そこは、功徳と罪業の交じる果が尽きた人々の群れに囲まれ、まるでシヴァのガナたちが取り巻くかのようであった。

Word by Word

• आगत्य: having come
• आगत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√गम् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having come)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• मणिकर्णिकायाम्: at Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• उदग्वहाम्: water-bearing, flowing (river)
• उदग्वहाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + वहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (उदकं वहति इति)

• स्वर्गतरङ्गिणीम्: the heavenly river
• स्वर्गतरङ्गिणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + तरङ्गिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य तरङ्गिणी)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• संक्षीणपुण्येतरपुण्यकर्मणाम्: of men whose merit and other (demerit/other) karmas are exhausted
• संक्षीणपुण्येतरपुण्यकर्मणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षीण (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + इतर (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (पुण्यं च इतरपुण्यं च येषां कर्म) + ‘संक्षीण’ विशेषण; ‘नृणाम्’ विशेषयति

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• गणैः: by groups
• गणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• स्थाणुगणैः: by groups of pillars (tree-stumps)
• स्थाणुगणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्थाणूनां गणाः)

• इव: as if, like
• इव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-निपात (comparative particle)

• आवृताम्: covered, surrounded
• आवृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-√वृ (धातु) + क्त (भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘स्वर्गतरङ्गिणीम्’ विशेषयति

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The pilgrim arrives at Maṇikarṇikā: the Gaṅgā glitters with ‘heavenly waves’; dense crowds line the steps; smoke and lamps mingle; the multitude appears like Śiva’s gaṇas encircling a sacred center.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• Śiva-gaṇa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Maṇikarṇikā is portrayed as a liberating sacred zone where karmic burdens are brought to exhaustion in the radiance of Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā (the famed Kāśī tīrtha/ghāṭa associated with liberation).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse magnifies the tīrtha’s salvific power and its gathered pilgrims.