Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

मन्दाकिनी महापुण्या भोगवत्यादिसंयुता । पश्याश्चर्यमिदं भद्रे वाराणसी विमुक्तिदा

Transliteration

mandākinī mahāpuṇyā bhogavatyādisaṃyutā | paśyāścaryamidaṃ bhadre vārāṇasī vimuktidā

Translation

മഹാപുണ്യമയിയായ മന്ദാകിനി ഭോഗവതി മുതലായവരോടൊപ്പം ഇവിടെ ഉണ്ട്. ഹേ ഭദ്രേ, ഈ അത്ഭുതം കാണുക—മുക്തിദായിനിയായ വാരാണസീ തന്നെ ഇവിടെ സന്നിഹിതമായതുപോലെ.

Word by Word

• मन्दाकिनी: Mandākinī (river)
• मन्दाकिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महापुण्या: greatly holy
• महापुण्या: Karta-anvaya (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय; विशेषण

• भोगवती-आदि-संयुता: joined with Bhogavatī and others
• भोगवती-आदि-संयुता: Karta-anvaya (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोगवती + आदि + संयुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) 'संयुत'; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ('भोगवती-आदिभिः संयुता')

• पश्य: see, behold
• पश्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• आश्चर्यम्: wonder, marvel
• आश्चर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भद्रे: O auspicious lady
• भद्रे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विमुक्तिदा: giver of liberation
• विमुक्तिदा: Karta-anvaya (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुक्ति + दा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष ('विमुक्तिं ददाति')

Speaker

Narrator within Dvārakā-māhātmya (contextual voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (with Kāśī-sānnidhya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mandākinī appears as a luminous river-goddess descending with attendants (Bhogavatī and others), while a spectral/visionary overlay shows Kāśī’s ghats and Viśvanātha-linga shimmering within Dvārakā’s seascape—‘Kāśī present here’ as a miraculous double-exposure.

Characters & Entities

• Mandākinī
• Bhogavatī
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are spiritually interconnected: Dvārakā is praised as mirroring the liberating potency of Kāśī, famed as vimukti-dā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is glorified by the claim that even Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), renowned for liberation, is present in its sphere of sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the emphasis is on ‘beholding the wonder’—recognizing tīrtha-mahattva.