Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

कुंडं चानारकाख्यं वै तत्र स्नातो न नारकी । वरणायास्तटे रम्ये वरणेशस्तदुत्तरे

Transliteration

kuṃḍaṃ cānārakākhyaṃ vai tatra snāto na nārakī | varaṇāyāstaṭe ramye varaṇeśastaduttare

Translation

‘അനാരക’ എന്ന പേരിലുള്ള കുണ്ഡവും ഉണ്ട്; അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ നരകഗാമിയാകുകയില്ല. വരണാ നദിയുടെ മനോഹര തീരത്ത്, അതിന്റെ വടക്കായി വരണേശൻ വിരാജിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• कुण्डम्: pond
• कुण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• अनारकाख्यम्: named ‘Anāraka’
• अनारकाख्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनारक-आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयभावः (अनारक इति आख्यं), ‘कुण्डम्’ विशेषयति

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• स्नातः: (one who has) bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• नारकी: a hell-bound person
• नारकी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘नरकसम्बन्धी/नरकगामी’

• वरणायाः: of (the river) Varaṇā
• वरणायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तटे: on the bank
• तटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• रम्ये: beautiful
• रम्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘तटे’ विशेषयति

• वरणेशः: Varaṇeśa (Lord of Varaṇā)
• वरणेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरणा-ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वरणायाः ईशः)

• तदुत्तरे: to the north of that
• तदुत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; ‘तस्य उत्तरे (दिशि)’ इति अर्थे, अव्ययवत् (locative sense)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Anāraka-kuṇḍa; Varaṇeśa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmuni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tranquil kuṇḍa named Anāraka; beyond it the gentle flow of the Varaṇā river with a shrine of Varaṇeśa on a verdant bank; pilgrims move northward, carrying water pots, the air calm and cleansing.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Anāraka-kuṇḍa
• Varaṇā (river)
• Varaṇeśa
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage in Kāśī is framed as moral-spiritual protection: tīrtha-bathing and Śiva-darśana avert hellish destinies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Anāraka-kuṇḍa and the Varaṇeśa shrine on the bank of the Varaṇā river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Anāraka-kuṇḍa; the verse also indicates proximity for darśana of Varaṇeśa.