Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततो नारदतीर्थं च ब्रह्मविद्यैककारणम् । तत्र स्नानेन मुक्तः स्याद्दृष्ट्वा नारदकेशवम्

Transliteration

tato nāradatīrthaṃ ca brahmavidyaikakāraṇam | tatra snānena muktaḥ syāddṛṣṭvā nāradakeśavam

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം നാരദതീർത്ഥം; ബ്രഹ്മവിദ്യയുടെ ഏക കാരണമെന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് നാരദ-കേശവനെ ദർശിച്ചാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), उपपद/क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial): ‘thereafter/then’

• nāradatīrtham: the Nārada sacred ford (tīrtha)
• nāradatīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (nāradasya tīrtham)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• brahmavidyā-eka-kāraṇam: the sole cause/source of Brahma-knowledge
• brahmavidyā-eka-kāraṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahma-vidyā (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष-प्रधान): ‘brahmavidyāyāḥ ekam kāraṇam’ इति अर्थः; विशेषणम् (qualifying nāradatīrtham)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb): ‘there’

• snānena: by bathing
• snānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• muktaḥ: liberated
• muktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukta (कृदन्त; √muc मुच् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle): ‘freed/liberated’

• syāt: would be / may become
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dṛś दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having seen’

• nāradakeśavam: Nārada and Keśava (the deities)
• nāradakeśavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक) + keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (nāradaś ca keśavaś ca) — समाहार/एकत्वेन देवताद्वय-नाम

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nārada-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim descends stone steps to a small sacred ford/ghāṭ at dawn; Nārada, vīṇā in hand, gestures toward a serene Keśava icon; rippling Gaṅgā reflects lamps and saffron sky.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada-tīrtha
• Brahmavidyā
• Nārada
• Keśava
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is linked to both inner knowledge (brahma-vidyā) and sacred practice—bathing at a holy tīrtha and taking darśana of the deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nārada-tīrtha in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), associated with the form Nārada-Keśava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Nārada-tīrtha, together with darśana (seeing) of Nārada-Keśava.