Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

सरस्वती सरिद्रूपा ह्यतः शास्त्रनिकेतनम् । आनंदकाननं सर्वं धर्मशास्त्रकृतालयम्

Transliteration

sarasvatī saridrūpā hyataḥ śāstraniketanam | ānaṃdakānanaṃ sarvaṃ dharmaśāstrakṛtālayam

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ഇവിടെ സരസ്വതി നദിരൂപത്തിൽ വിരാജിക്കുന്നു; ഇത് ശാസ്ത്രവിദ്യയുടെ നികേതനമാണ്. സമസ്ത ആനന്ദകാനനം ധർമ്മവും ശാസ്ത്രങ്ങളും നിർമ്മിച്ച ആലയമാണ്.

Word by Word

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• सरिद्रूपा: having the form of a river
• सरिद्रूपा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सरित् + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सरितः रूपम्)

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/from this)

• शास्त्रनिकेतनम्: abode of scriptures/learning
• शास्त्रनिकेतनम्: Samanaadhikarana (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शास्त्र + निकेतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शास्त्रस्य निकेतनम्)

• आनंदकाननम्: the forest of bliss (Ānandakānana)
• आनंदकाननम्: Samanaadhikarana (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आनन्दस्य काननम्)

• सर्वम्: entire; all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; 'आनंदकाननम्' इति विशेषणम्

• धर्मशास्त्रकृतालयम्: a dwelling made/ordained by dharma-śāstra
• धर्मशास्त्रकृतालयम्: Samanaadhikarana (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मशास्त्र + कृत + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मशास्त्रेण कृतः आलयः / धर्मशास्त्रकृतः आलयः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandakānana (Kāśī) with Sarasvatī-tīrtha motif

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous river personified as Sarasvatī flows through a stylized Kāśī; along its banks sit sages and students reciting śāstra under trees of Ānandakānana, with manuscripts and vīṇā motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Ānandakānana
• Kāśī
• Śāstra
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is not only a tīrtha of liberation but also a sanctified center of dharma and scriptural wisdom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandakānana—an epithet for Kāśī—praised as a śāstra-niketanam.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is commanded; the verse frames Kāśī’s identity as a sacred seat of learning and dharma.