Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

स्नानकालेऽन्य तीर्थेषु जप्यते जाह्नवी जनैः । विना विष्णुपदीं क्वान्यत्समर्थमघमोचने

Transliteration

snānakāle'nya tīrtheṣu japyate jāhnavī janaiḥ | vinā viṣṇupadīṃ kvānyatsamarthamaghamocane

Translation

മറ്റു തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ സ്നാനസമയത്ത് ജനങ്ങൾ ‘ജാഹ്നവീ’ എന്ന നാമം ജപിക്കുന്നു; വിഷ്ണുപദിയായ ഗംഗയെ വിട്ടാൽ പാപമോചനത്തിന് സമർത്ഥമായത് മറ്റെന്ത്?

Word by Word

• स्नानकाले: at the time of bathing
• स्नानकाले: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान-काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (स्नानस्य कालः), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (locative singular)

• अन्य: other
• अन्य: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन (तीर्थेषु इति पदस्य विशेषण); (neuter locative plural agreeing with tīrtheṣu)

• तीर्थेषु: in holy places
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; (locative plural)

• जप्यते: is recited
• जप्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, कर्मणि प्रयोग; (present, 3rd singular, passive)

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवी: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (nominative singular)

• जनैः: by people
• जनैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; (instrumental plural)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/वर्जन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश अव्यय/पूर्वपद (preposition-like indeclinable; takes accusative)

• विष्णुपदीम्: Viṣṇupadī (Gaṅgā)
• विष्णुपदीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु-पदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (विष्णोः पदी), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (accusative singular)

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• अन्यत्: anything else
• अन्यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (nominative singular)

• समर्थम्: capable
• समर्थम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (neuter nominative singular agreeing with anyat)

• अघमोचने: in removing sin
• अघमोचने: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ-मोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (अघस्य मोचनम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (locative singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī/Viṣṇupadī)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathing in various local waters while audibly chanting ‘Jāhnavī’; above them, a subtle vision of Gaṅgā as Viṣṇu’s foot-born stream, indicating her unique power to dissolve sin.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī, Viṣṇupadī)
• Tīrthas (general)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā’s name is treated as universally purifying—so central that it is invoked even at other tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā (Viṣṇupadī/Jāhnavī), implicitly connected to Kāśī’s sacred bathing tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During snāna, perform nāma-japa of Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī), emphasizing her power to remove agha (sin).