Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

देवाः सपितरो यस्माद्गंगायां सर्वदा स्थिताः । आवाहनं विसर्गं च तेषां तत्र ततो नहि

Transliteration

devāḥ sapitaro yasmādgaṃgāyāṃ sarvadā sthitāḥ | āvāhanaṃ visargaṃ ca teṣāṃ tatra tato nahi

Translation

ദേവന്മാർ പിതൃകളോടുകൂടെ സദാ ഗംഗയിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നതിനാൽ, അവിടെ അവരെ ആവാഹിക്കലോ വിസർജ്ജിക്കലോ വേണ്ടതില്ല।

Word by Word

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• सपितरः: together with the ancestors
• सपितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स (अव्यय-उपसर्गवत् ‘सह’) + पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अव्ययीभावः (सह पितृभिः/सपितरः = along with the ancestors)

• यस्मात्: since/because
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतु-अर्थे (ablative of cause: because of which/since)

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

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• स्थिताः: are situated/stand
• स्थिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्तरि-भावे ‘standing/being situated’

• आवाहनम्: invocation (calling)
• आवाहनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + वह् (धातु) + ल्युट् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रियानाम (verbal noun: invocation)

• विसर्गम्: dismissal (sending away)
• विसर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि + सृज् (धातु) + घञ्/अ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रियानाम (dismissal/sending off)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive: of them)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-आर्थक अव्यय (ablatival adverb: therefore/from that)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣis/pilgrims)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā as a living goddess with devas and pitṛs subtly visible within her waters and above the ghāṭas, indicating their constant presence; a priest performs tarpaṇa without formal āvāhana gestures.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Devas
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

At supremely sacred tīrthas like the Gaṅgā, divine presence is immediate; devotion and sincerity take precedence over elaborate formalities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā within Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), as presented in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

In Gaṅgā-tīrtha rites, āvāhana (invocation) and visarga (formal dismissal) for Devas/Pitṛs are stated to be unnecessary.