Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

शृण्वंति महिमानं ये गंगाया नित्यमादरात् । गंगास्नानफलं तेषां वाचकप्रीणनाद्धनैः

Transliteration

śṛṇvaṃti mahimānaṃ ye gaṃgāyā nityamādarāt | gaṃgāsnānaphalaṃ teṣāṃ vācakaprīṇanāddhanaiḥ

Translation

जे श्रद्धेने नित्य गंगेची महिमा ऐकतात, त्यांना गंगास्नानाचे फळ मिळते—विशेषतः धनदानाने वाचकास प्रसन्न केल्यास।

Word by Word

• शृण्वन्ति: hear/listen
• शृण्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• महिमानम्: greatness/glory
• महिमानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative)

• गङ्गायाः: of Gaṅgā
• गङ्गायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयुक्तम्; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• आदरात्: out of reverence
• आदरात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (from/through reverence)

• गङ्गा-स्नान-फलम्: the fruit of bathing in Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा-स्नान-फलम्: Karma/Phala (Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी-भाव); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (पद्यमध्ये कर्म/विधेयभावे)

• तेषाम्: of them / for them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वाचक-प्रीणनात्: from pleasing the reciter (of the कथा/पाठ)
• वाचक-प्रीणनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाचक (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रीणन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वाचकस्य प्रीणनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (by/through pleasing the reciter)

• धनैः: with wealth/money
• धनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (via māhātmya-śravaṇa)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned reciter sits on a low seat near a ghāṭa pavilion, reading from palm-leaf manuscripts; listeners sit with folded hands; a patron offers a pouch of coins and cloth as dakṣiṇā; Gaṅgā flows behind.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• vācaka (reciter)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional listening (śravaṇa) to sacred greatness, coupled with generous support to teachers, is equated with major tīrtha-merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā tīrtha, whose glory (māhātmya) itself is treated as salvific when heard with faith.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regularly hearing Gaṅgā-māhātmya and giving dāna to please/support the vācaka (reciter/expositor).