Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

तत्र वैतरणी नाम दीर्घिका पश्चिमानना । तस्यां स्नातो नरो देवि नरकं नैव गच्छति

Transliteration

tatra vaitaraṇī nāma dīrghikā paścimānanā | tasyāṃ snāto naro devi narakaṃ naiva gacchati

Translation

അവിടെ ‘വൈതരണി’ എന്ന പേരിലുള്ള പടിഞ്ഞാറോട്ടു മുഖമുള്ള ദീർഘികയുണ്ട്. ദേവീ, അതിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ ഒരിക്കലും നരകത്തിലേക്കു പോകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

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

• वैतरणी: Vaitaraṇī
• वैतरणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — नदी/दीर्घिका-नाम

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming/apposition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, नामार्थक-निपात (particle meaning 'named')

• दीर्घिका: a long pond/tank
• दीर्घिका: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — समानाधिकरणम् (apposition to वैतरणी)

• पश्चिमानना: west-facing
• पश्चिमानना: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — बहुव्रीहिः: 'whose face/opening is to the west'

• तस्याम्: in that (pond)
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'in it'

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Agent described/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'having bathed/bathed' (agreeing with नरः)

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

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन — संबोधन

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः कर्म

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 'goes'

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaitaraṇī-dīrghikā

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A long rectangular pond with steps, oriented so the bather faces west; evening light on water; pilgrims entering with folded hands; subtle iconography of Yama’s realm fading away in the background to signify ‘no hell’.

Characters & Entities

• Vaitaraṇī (Dīrghikā)
• Devī (listener addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy bathing in Kāśī is portrayed as a powerful purifier that protects one from grievous post-mortem suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The west-facing long pond (dīrghikā) named Vaitaraṇī in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) in the Vaitaraṇī dīrghikā.