Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

आनंदकाननभवं दिवोदास क्षमापतेः । संवर्णयन्गुणग्रामं पुण्यं पांचनदोद्भवम्

Transliteration

ānaṃdakānanabhavaṃ divodāsa kṣamāpateḥ | saṃvarṇayanguṇagrāmaṃ puṇyaṃ pāṃcanadodbhavam

Translation

അവൻ ആനന്ദകാനനവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടതും, രാജ്യാധിപനായ ദിവോദാസനോട് അനുബന്ധമായതുമായ, പഞ്ചനദത്തിൽ നിന്നുയരുന്ന പുണ്യപ്രദമായ ഗുണസമൂഹത്തെ വിശദമായി വർണ്ണിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• आनन्द-कानन-भवम्: born in the Ānanda forest
• आनन्द-कानन-भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक) + भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; तत्पुरुषः (आनन्दकाननात् भवः)

• दिवोदास: O Divodāsa
• दिवोदास: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवोदास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• क्षमापतेः: of the lord of the earth (king)
• क्षमापतेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षमापति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular; तत्पुरुषः (क्षमा + पति)

• संवर्णयन्: describing
• संवर्णयन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + वर्णय् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — describing

• गुण-ग्रामम्: a multitude of virtues
• गुण-ग्रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; तत्पुरुषः (गुणानां ग्रामः)

• पुण्यम्: holy, meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; विशेषणम् (गुणग्रामम्)

• पाञ्चनद-उद्भवम्: arisen from Pañcanada
• पाञ्चनद-उद्भवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाञ्चनद (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; तत्पुरुषः (पाञ्चनदात् उद्भवः) विशेषणम् (गुणग्रामम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada (within Kāśī’s tīrtha-net)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Likely Agastya or a principal ṛṣi in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A messenger or narrator extols Pañcanada’s merits and Divodāsa’s connection to Ānandavana, with the sacred forest and river-ford symbolically interwoven.

Characters & Entities

• Ānandavana (Kāśī)
• Divodāsa
• Pañcanada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is measured by the virtues and merit it generates—linking sacred place, righteous kingship, and dharmic memory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada, situated within the Kāśī sacred landscape (Ānandavana).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription is stated; the verse emphasizes praise (stuti/varṇana) of the tīrtha’s puṇya and virtues.