Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

महामहोभूर्मणिकर्णिकास्थली तमस्ततिर्यत्र समेति संक्षयम् । परः शतैर्जन्मभिरेधितापि या दिवाकराग्नींदुकरैरनिग्रहा

Transliteration

mahāmahobhūrmaṇikarṇikāsthalī tamastatiryatra sameti saṃkṣayam | paraḥ śatairjanmabhiredhitāpi yā divākarāgnīṃdukarairanigrahā

Translation

മഹാമഹിമയോടെ ദീപ്തമായ മണികർണികാ-സ്ഥലം—അവിടെ അന്ധകാരത്തിന്റെ കൂമ്പാരം പൂർണ്ണമായി ക്ഷയിക്കുന്നു. നൂറുകണക്കിന് ജന്മങ്ങളാൽ വളർന്ന തമസ്സും അവിടെയുള്ള സൂര്യ-അഗ്നി-ചന്ദ്രസമ ദീപ്തിയെ താങ്ങുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• महामहोभूः: the very great Mahohbhū (epithet/name)
• महामहोभूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामहोभू (प्रातिपदिक; महा+महो+भूः)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महान् महोभूः)

• मणिकर्णिकास्थली: the ground/place of Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकास्थली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका+स्थली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मणिकर्णिकायाः स्थली)

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• ततिः: a row/stream (mass)
• ततिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb: 'where')

• समेति: goes/comes together, reaches
• समेति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+इ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• संक्षयम्: destruction, end
• संक्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• परः: supreme/other
• परः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (e.g., 'supreme/other')

• शतैः: by hundreds
• शतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• जन्मभिः: by births
• जन्मभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• एधिता: grown, increased
• एधिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एध् (धातु) → एधित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (concessive/also: 'even/also')

• या: which (she/that)
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• दिवाकरैः: by suns (sun-rays/suns)
• दिवाकरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवाकर (प्रातिपदिक; दिवा+कर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः (day-maker = sun)

• अग्नि: by fire
• अग्नि: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समुच्चयार्थे); (पाठे 'अग्नींदुकरैः' इति सन्धौ)

• इन्दुकरैः: by moon(-rays)/moons
• इन्दुकरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्दुकर (प्रातिपदिक; इन्दु+कर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (moon-ray = moon)

• अनिग्रहा: unrestrained, unchecked
• अनिग्रहा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; अ-निग्रह)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (निग्रह-रहित)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (unnamed in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Maṇikarṇikā-sthalī where darkness dissolves; the ghāṭa glows with a tri-luminary aura (sun-fire-moon), with pilgrims and lamps reflecting on the river.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Maṇikarṇikā is portrayed as a place where deep karmic darkness accumulated over many births is dispelled by divine spiritual brilliance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā-sthalī (Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī/Vārāṇasī), celebrated as supremely radiant and liberating.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it focuses on the intrinsic purifying power (māhātmya) of the place.