Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

निशम्येति विधेर्वाक्यं नर्मदा सरिदुत्तमा । धातुर्वरं परित्यज्य प्राप्ता वाराणसीं पुरीम्

Transliteration

niśamyeti vidhervākyaṃ narmadā sariduttamā | dhāturvaraṃ parityajya prāptā vārāṇasīṃ purīm

Translation

ヴィディ（梵天ブラフマー）の言葉を聞くや、河川の最勝なるナルマダーは、創造主の授けた恩寵を脇に置き、ヴァーラーナシーの都へと赴いた。

Word by Word

• निशम्य: having heard
• निशम्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śam (शम् धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); 'निशम्य' = श्रुत्वा/आकर्ण्य

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• विधेः: of Brahmā / the Ordainer
• विधेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वाक्यम्: statement, words
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सरित्-उत्तमा: the best of rivers
• सरित्-उत्तमा: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarit + uttamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (उत्तमा सरित्)

• धातुर्वरम्: the excellent abode/place
• धातुर्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhātur + varam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धातोः वरम् = श्रेष्ठं स्थानम्/उत्तमं धाम)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tyaj (त्यज् धातु) + परि (उपसर्ग) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• प्राप्ता: arrived, reached
• प्राप्ता: Kriya (Main predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (आप् धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे (she arrived)

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma (Destination as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; वाराणसीम् इति विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध

Speaker

Skanda (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Narmadā personified as a radiant river-goddess leaving her native course, carrying a water-pot and lotus, guided by Brahmā’s command toward Kāśī’s ghāṭas; a subtle contrast between her homeland landscapes and Kāśī’s sacred skyline.

Characters & Entities

• Vidhi (Brahmā)
• Narmadā
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When higher sacred purpose calls, even a promised boon is secondary to reaching the supreme tīrtha—Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) is explicitly named as the destination of Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) to Kāśī is valorized.