Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

संभेदोयमसे रम्य उपलोलार्कमग्रतः । उपश्रीकेशवपदं वरणैषा सरिद्वरा

Transliteration

saṃbhedoyamase ramya upalolārkamagrataḥ | upaśrīkeśavapadaṃ varaṇaiṣā saridvarā

Translation

ഇത് മനോഹരമായ സംഗമം; ജലത്തിൽ വിറയുന്ന സൂര്യപ്രതിബിംബം കാണാം. ഇവിടെ കേശവന്റെ ശോഭാമയ ‘പാദമുദ്ര’ ഉണ്ട്; ഈ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ നദി ‘വരണാ’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• संभेदः: confluence/meeting
• संभेदः: Karta/Predicate nominative (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्+भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Viśeṣya (Demonstrative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• असे: you are / (it) is (contextual)
• असे: Kriyā (Copula/अस्ति-अर्थ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• रम्यः: beautiful
• रम्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (संभेदस्य)

• उपलोल-अर्कम्: the wavering sun
• उपलोल-अर्कम्: Karma/Alambana (Object/depictive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपलोल (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (उपलोलः अर्कः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अग्रतः: in front
• अग्रतः: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (in front/before)

• उपश्री-केशव-पदम्: the auspicious abode/footprint of Keśava
• उपश्री-केशव-पदम्: Viśeṣya/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपश्री (प्रातिपदिक) + केशव (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (केशवस्य पदम्) with उपश्री- (विशेषणपूर्वपद); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (contextually predicate/description)

• वरणा: Varanā (river)
• वरणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एषा: this
• एषा: Apposition (समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सरित्-वरा: the best river
• सरित्-वरा: Viśeṣaṇa/Predicate (river as best)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (वरा सरित्); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varaṇā-saṅgama with Keśava-pada (Upaśrī Keśava-pada)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shimmering confluence where the sun quivers in reflection on rippling water; nearby stands a shrine or stone slab revered as the splendid Footprint of Keśava, while the guide names the river Varaṇā.

Characters & Entities

• Varaṇā River
• Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• Confluence (Saṃbheda)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is revelation: confluences and deity-marked spots are to be approached with reverence as living embodiments of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The confluence associated with the Varaṇā river in Kāśī, and the sacred spot known as Keśava-pada (the place/footprint of Keśava).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies tīrtha-darśana and likely snāna in the confluence context, though no explicit injunction is stated in this line.