Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

ततः पंचनदाख्यं वै सर्वतीर्थनिषेवितम् । तीर्थं यत्र नरः स्नात्वा न संसारी पुनर्भवेत्

Transliteration

tataḥ paṃcanadākhyaṃ vai sarvatīrthaniṣevitam | tīrthaṃ yatra naraḥ snātvā na saṃsārī punarbhavet

Translation

അതിന് ശേഷം ‘പഞ്ചനദ’ എന്ന പേരിലുള്ള തീർത്ഥം വരുന്നു; അത് എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളും ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നതാണ്. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യൻ വീണ്ടും സംസാരബന്ധത്തിൽ പെടുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter / from there
• ततः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक (from there/thereafter)

• पञ्चनदाख्यम्: named ‘Pañcanada’
• पञ्चनदाख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + नद (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (पञ्चनद इति आख्यं यस्य तत्)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• सर्वतीर्थनिषेवितम्: frequented/served by all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थनिषेवितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + नि+सेव् (धातु) → निषेवित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘निषेवित’ = सेवितम्; तत्पुरुष: सर्वैः तीर्थैः निषेवितम् (visited/served by all tīrthas)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (Object or complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative locative adverb: where)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): ‘having bathed’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• संसारी: a transmigrating being
• संसारी: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक (one who is in saṃsāra)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again)

• भवेत्: would become / would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand Kāśī ghat where five sacred currents are symbolically shown converging; personified tīrthas arrive like radiant beings to bathe; a pilgrim emerges from the water with a liberated, serene gaze.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcanada Tīrtha
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest fruit of tīrtha-sevā in Kāśī is liberation: bathing at the foremost ford is praised as ending rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada Tīrtha, portrayed as a confluence-like supreme tīrtha within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Pañcanada Tīrtha for freedom from saṃsāra.