Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

अहो कथं हि सा लभ्या यत्प्रभावोयमीदृशः । धिग्जन्म तेषां मर्त्येऽस्मिन्यैर्नैक्षि ज्ञानवापिका

Transliteration

aho kathaṃ hi sā labhyā yatprabhāvoyamīdṛśaḥ | dhigjanma teṣāṃ martye'sminyairnaikṣi jñānavāpikā

Translation

അയ്യോ! ഇത്ര അത്ഭുതപ്രഭാവമുള്ള ആ (പുണ്യകിണർ) എങ്ങനെ ലഭിക്കും? ഈ ലോകത്ത് ജ്ഞാനവാപിയെ കണ്ടിട്ടില്ലാത്ത മർത്ത്യരുടെ ജന്മം ധിക്കാരം അർഹിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अहो: ah! / oh!
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक-अव्यय (interjection)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

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

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लभ्या: obtainable
• लभ्या: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √लभ् (धातु); यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्यय (लभ्य = obtainable)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (potential passive participle)

• यत्-प्रभावः: whose power
• यत्-प्रभावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यस्य प्रभावः)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ईदृशः: such / of this kind
• ईदृशः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धिग्: shame on
• धिग्: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिग् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दावाचक-निपात (particle of censure)

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (Object of censure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तेषाम्: of those (people)
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• मर्त्ये: in the mortal world
• मर्त्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

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

• ऐक्षि: you saw
• ऐक्षि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ज्ञान-वापिका: the well/pond of knowledge
• ज्ञान-वापिका: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + वापिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ज्ञानस्य वापिका)

Speaker

Kalāvatī’s attendants (addressing her)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānavāpī

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Attendants exclaim in wonder, hands raised in astonishment and devotion, lamenting those who never beheld Jñānavāpī; the sacred well is imagined as radiant in the mind’s eye.

Characters & Entities

• Jñānavāpī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is considered fulfilled by tīrtha-darśana; neglecting sacred opportunities is portrayed as a loss of rare spiritual fortune.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jñānavāpī in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: seek darśana (visit and behold) of Jñānavāpī to partake of its praised prabhāva.