Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नातो नरः सम्यग्ब्रह्मविद्यामवाप्नुयात् । केशवात्तेन तत्रोक्तः काश्यां नारदकेशवः

Transliteration

tatra snāto naraḥ samyagbrahmavidyāmavāpnuyāt | keśavāttena tatroktaḥ kāśyāṃ nāradakeśavaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ശരിയായി സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യൻ ബ്രഹ്മവിദ്യ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. അതുകൊണ്ട് കാശിയിൽ അവിടെയുള്ള കേശവനെ ‘നാരദ-കേശവ’ എന്നു പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb)

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — bathed

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

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) — properly

• ब्रह्मविद्याम्: brahma-knowledge
• ब्रह्मविद्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मविद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• अवाप्नुयात्: should attain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — should attain

• केशवात्: from Keśava
• केशवात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative singular

• तेन: by him/therefore
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb)

• उक्तः: was called
• उक्तः: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — said/called

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• नारद-केशवः: Nārada-Keśava (name)
• नारद-केशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक) + केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; समासः द्वन्द्वः (नारदश्च केशवश्च) — as a combined name/title

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nārada-tīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim emerges from Nārada-tīrtha waters with folded hands; ahead stands the Nārada-Keśava shrine. A subtle halo of ‘knowledge-light’ surrounds the devotee, while Nārada’s presence is suggested with a vīṇā motif.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava
• Nārada-Keśava
• Kāśī
• Brahma-vidyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not only merit-making; at certain tīrthas it becomes a gateway to liberating knowledge (brahma-vidyā).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nārada-tīrtha and the nearby Keśava manifestation known in Kāśī as Nārada-Keśava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at that tīrtha is stated as the means for attaining brahma-vidyā.