Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 210

Devanagari script

गंगास्नानप्रतिनिधिः स्तोत्रमेतन्मयेरितम् । सिस्नासुर्जाह्नवीं तस्मादेतत्स्तोत्रं जपेत्सुधीः

Transliteration

gaṃgāsnānapratinidhiḥ stotrametanmayeritam | sisnāsurjāhnavīṃ tasmādetatstotraṃ japetsudhīḥ

Translation

എന്നാൽ പ്രസ്താവിക്കപ്പെട്ട ഈ സ്തോത്രം ഗംഗാസ്നാനത്തിന്റെ പ്രതിനിധി (സമഫലദായകം) ആകുന്നു; അതിനാൽ ജാഹ്നവിയിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന ബുദ്ധിമാൻ ഈ സ്തോത്രം ജപിക്കട്ടെ।

Word by Word

• gaṃgā-snāna-pratinidhiḥ: a substitute for bathing in the Gaṅgā
• gaṃgā-snāna-pratinidhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + pratinidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता/विधेय; Nominative singular masculine

• stotram: the hymn
• stotram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय/कर्म; Nominative/Accusative singular neuter

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (स्तोत्रम् इति) विशेषणम्; ‘this’

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; करण; Instrumental singular ‘by me’

• īritam: uttered
• īritam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √īr (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (एतत् स्तोत्रम् इति) विशेषणम्; ‘uttered/declared’

• sisnāsuḥ: one who wishes to bathe
• sisnāsuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √snā (धातु) + su (कृदन्त, desiderative/intentive noun)
• Form: सन्नन्तार्थे ‘स्नातुमिच्छुः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता; ‘one desiring to bathe’

• jāhnavīm: (in) the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• jāhnavīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāhnavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म; Accusative singular

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावप्रयोगवत्; पञ्चमी-अर्थे निपातः ‘therefore/from that reason’; causal connector

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (स्तोत्रम् इति) विशेषणम्; Accusative singular

• stotram: hymn
• stotram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म; Accusative singular

• japet: should recite
• japet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (लिङ्-लकार), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Optative, 3rd sg. ‘should recite’

• sudhīḥ: a wise person
• sudhīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता; Nominative singular masculine

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage (muni)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder far from the river sits before a small water vessel; above it appears a visionary Gaṅgā stream descending from Śiva’s jaṭā, enveloping the chanter in translucent water-light—signifying ‘snāna by hymn’.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Jāhnavī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred power can be accessed through sincere recitation even when physical pilgrimage or bathing is not possible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā/Jāhnavī as the supreme tīrtha, central to Kāśī’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite (japa) the stotra as a pratinidhi (substitute) for Gaṅgā snāna.