Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ज्ञात्वा कलियुगं घोरं गंगाभक्तिः सुगोपिता । न विंदतिं जना गंगां मुक्तिमागैर्कदायिकाम्

Transliteration

jñātvā kaliyugaṃ ghoraṃ gaṃgābhaktiḥ sugopitā | na viṃdatiṃ janā gaṃgāṃ muktimāgairkadāyikām

Translation

കലിയുഗത്തിന്റെ ഘോരത്വം അറിഞ്ഞ് ഗംഗാഭക്തി നന്നായി ഗോപിതമായി; മോക്ഷമാർഗദായിനിയായ ഗംഗയെ ജനങ്ങൾ കണ്ടെത്തുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action), अव्ययीभाव-प्रायः; धातु: ज्ञा

• कलियुगम्: the Kali age
• कलियुगम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलियुग (प्रातिपदिक; कलि + युग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (कलौ युगम्)

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कलियुगम्)

• गङ्गाभक्तिः: devotion to Ganga
• गङ्गाभक्तिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गाभक्ति (प्रातिपदिक; गङ्गा + भक्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (गङ्गायाः भक्ति:)

• सुगोपिता: well-hidden / well-protected
• सुगोपिता: Kriya (Predicate/State)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गुप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: सु-; अर्थे कर्मणि

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• विन्दन्ति: find / obtain
• विन्दन्ति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• गङ्गाम्: Ganga
• गङ्गाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मुक्तिमार्गैकदायिकाम्: the sole giver of the path to liberation
• मुक्तिमार्गैकदायिकाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्ति + मार्ग + एक + दायिका (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (मुक्तेः मार्गः) + एक (नित्यसमासाङ्ग) + दायिका; विशेषणम् (गङ्गाम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī) in Kāśī

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dim, age-worn Kali-yuga cityscape where the luminous Gaṅgā flows veiled in mist; seekers pass by unaware while a few devotees recognize her radiance as the path to liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Kaliyuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali Yuga, the liberating power of Gaṅgā-bhakti is easily overlooked; seekers must consciously turn toward Gaṅgā for the mokṣa-mārga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā in the Kāśī-kṣetra context—Gaṅgā’s presence at Vārāṇasī is implied by the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse emphasizes discovering and cultivating devotion to Gaṅgā as the means that opens the way to liberation.