Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

गंगैव केवला मुक्त्यै निर्णीता परितो हरे । अविमुक्ते विशेषेण ममाधिष्ठानगौरवात्

Transliteration

gaṃgaiva kevalā muktyai nirṇītā parito hare | avimukte viśeṣeṇa mamādhiṣṭhānagauravāt

Translation

ഹേ ഹരി, ഗംഗ മാത്രം എല്ലായിടത്തും മോക്ഷത്തിനുള്ള നേരിട്ടുള്ള ഉപായമായി നിർണ്ണയിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; അവിമുക്തം (കാശി) ൽ എന്നാൽ എന്റെ അധിഷ്ഠാനത്തിന്റെ മഹിമകൊണ്ട് അവൾ പ്രത്യേകമായി മോക്ഷദായിനിയാണ്।

Word by Word

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative singular)

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle)

• केवला: sole/only
• केवला: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Feminine, Nominative singular; adjective)

• मुक्त्यै: for liberation
• मुक्त्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन (Feminine, Dative singular)

• निर्णीता: has been determined/declared
• निर्णीता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्-नी (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• परितः: all around/everywhere
• परितः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परितः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण/उपसर्गार्थ (adverb: all around)

• हरे: O Hari
• हरे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative singular)

• अविमुक्ते: in Avimukta (Kāśī)
• अविमुक्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Neuter, Locative singular)

• विशेषेण: especially/in particular
• विशेषेण: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; प्रकारेण (Masculine, Instrumental singular; manner)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Genitive singular pronoun)

• अधिष्ठानगौरवात्: because of the greatness of (my) abode
• अधिष्ठानगौरवात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधिष्ठान-गौरव (प्रातिपदिक; अधिष्ठान + गौरव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (Neuter, Ablative singular; causal)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya; verse also contains an address to Hari/Viṣṇu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī) with Gaṅgā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Hari/Viṣṇu (vocative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as the unseen yet palpable lord of Avimukta, seated in subtle radiance over Kāśī; Gaṅgā flows below as a luminous path to liberation; pilgrims cross from worldly bustle into a calm, light-filled sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Avimukta (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā is declared a uniquely liberating tirtha, and her power is intensified in Avimukta (Kāśī) due to the special sanctity of the divine presence there.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta (Kāśī/Varanasi), with Gaṅgā—especially in the Uttaravāhinī context of this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal mahātmya statement about mokṣa through Gaṅgā in Avimukta.