Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

शेषवासुकिमुख्याश्च नागा वै नागलोकतः । समायांतीह मध्याह्ने संस्नातुं मणिकर्णिकाम्

Transliteration

śeṣavāsukimukhyāśca nāgā vai nāgalokataḥ | samāyāṃtīha madhyāhne saṃsnātuṃ maṇikarṇikām

Translation

നാഗലോകത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ശേഷൻ-വാസുകി മുഖ്യനായ നാഗന്മാരും, മധ്യാഹ്നത്തിൽ മണികർണികയിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യാൻ ഇവിടെ എത്തുന്നു।

Word by Word

• शेषवासुकिमुख्याः: those headed by Śeṣa and Vāsuki
• शेषवासुकिमुख्याः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक) + वासुकि (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (शेषः वासुकिः च मुख्याः येषु/येषाम्) ‘शेष-वासुकि-मुख्य’ (समूहवाचक)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• नागाः: Nāgas (serpents)
• नागाः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: सम्बोधन/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/उपपद-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• नागलोकतः: from Nāgaloka
• नागलोकतः: अपादान (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागलोक (प्रातिपदिक) = नाग + लोक (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नागानां लोकः)

• समायान्ति: come/arrive
• समायान्ति: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + √या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• इह: here
• इह: अधिकरण (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• मध्याह्ने: at midday
• मध्याह्ने: अधिकरण (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्याह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• संस्नातुम्: to bathe
• संस्नातुम्: प्रयोजन (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √स्ना (धातु) + तुमुन्
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), प्रयोजनार्थक

• मणिकर्णिकाम्: to/at Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकाम्: कर्म (Object/Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/seekers

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At midday, Śeṣa and Vāsuki emerge from the river’s depths near Maṇikarṇikā, their jeweled hoods fanned, approaching the ghāṭa waters reverently to bathe; sunlight glints on serpent gems and Gaṅgā ripples.

Characters & Entities

• Śeṣa
• Vāsuki
• Nāgas
• Nāgaloka
• Māṇikarṇikā
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māṇikarṇikā’s purifying power is universal—revered across realms, not only by humans.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māṇikarṇikā tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Midday snāna (bathing) at Māṇikarṇikā.