Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

नैरंतर्येण गंगायां मासं यः स्नाति पुण्यवान् । शक्रलोके स वसति यावच्छक्रः सपूर्वजः

Transliteration

nairaṃtaryeṇa gaṃgāyāṃ māsaṃ yaḥ snāti puṇyavān | śakraloke sa vasati yāvacchakraḥ sapūrvajaḥ

Translation

പുണ്യവാൻ ഒരുമാസം ഇടവിടാതെ ഗംഗയിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ, പൂർവ്വജരോടൊപ്പം ശക്രലോകത്തിൽ ശക്രൻ അവിടെ നിലനിൽക്കുന്നത്ര കാലം വസിക്കും.

Word by Word

• नैरन्तर्येण: with continuity; without interruption
• नैरन्तर्येण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरन्तर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; भाववाचक (by continuity/without break)

• गङ्गायाम्: in the Ganga
• गङ्गायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (duration)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुण्यवान्: meritorious
• पुण्यवान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (possessive adjective)

• शक्रलोके: in Indra's world
• शक्रलोके: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र + लोक (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शक्रस्य लोके)

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

• वसति: dwells
• वसति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (until/as long as)

• शक्रः: Indra
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सपूर्वजः: together with his predecessors
• सपूर्वजः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक; उपपद-समास/सह-प्रयोग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सहार्थक-तत्पुरुषः (पूर्वजैः सह)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like scene: the same pilgrim bathing daily at dawn for a month; calendar/moon phases subtly indicated; finally, Indra’s (Śakra’s) celestial city appears, with the pilgrim arriving accompanied by radiant ancestors.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śakra (Indra)
• Śakraloka (Svarga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained, disciplined practice at a sacred tīrtha multiplies merit; continuity in devotion is praised as especially powerful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā as a living tīrtha, particularly as approached through long-duration practice in the Kāśī sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nairaṃtarya-snānā: bathing in the Gaṅgā without interruption for a full month (a Gaṅgā-vrata style observance).