Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

संति तीर्थानि तावंति परितो मणिकर्णिकाम् । यावद्भिस्तिलमात्रापि न भूमिर्विरलीकृता

Transliteration

saṃti tīrthāni tāvaṃti parito maṇikarṇikām | yāvadbhistilamātrāpi na bhūmirviralīkṛtā

Translation

മണികർണികയെ ചുറ്റി അത്രയധികം തീർത്ഥങ്ങളുണ്ട്; എള്ളളവോളം ഭൂമിയും തീർത്ഥരഹിതമായി വിരളമാകുന്നില്ല।

Word by Word

• सन्ति: are/exist
• सन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तीर्थानि: sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तावन्ति: so many/as many
• तावन्ति: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्यावाचक-परिमाणवाचक विशेषण (quantifying adjective)

• परितः: around
• परितः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परितः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb/preposition)

• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Maṇikarṇikā (sacred place)
• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (2nd case/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यावद्भिः: by which amount/as far as
• यावद्भिः: Hetu/Karana (Instrument/measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), तृतीया (3rd case/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बन्ध-परिमाणवाचक (relative quantifier)

• तिलमात्रा: a sesame-seed measure (tiny amount)
• तिलमात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल + मात्रा (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: तिलस्य मात्रा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: even/also)

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

• भूमिः: ground/land
• भूमिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विरलीकृता: made sparse/left uncovered
• विरलीकृता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विरलीकृ (धातु: कृ + उपसर्ग/प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (passive/resultative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic view of Maṇikarṇikā’s riverfront where every step reveals a shrine, liṅga, or small tīrtha-marker; pilgrims moving in dense sacred space with lamps and offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Tīrthas of Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is depicted as saturated with sanctity—around Maṇikarṇikā, holiness is continuous rather than isolated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā and the multitude of surrounding tīrthas in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is named; it encourages pilgrimage by highlighting the abundance of sacred bathing/merit-giving spots.