Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सा पुरी जनसंकीर्णा नानारत्नोपशोभिता । वाराणसीति विख्याता गङ्गातीरमुपाश्रिता

Transliteration

sā purī janasaṃkīrṇā nānāratnopaśobhitā | vārāṇasīti vikhyātā gaṅgātīramupāśritā

Translation

Kota itu penuh sesak dengan manusia dan dihiasi pelbagai ratna permata. Ia masyhur sebagai Vārāṇasī serta bernaung di tebing Sungai Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• सा: she/that (city)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जन-संकीर्णा: crowded with people
• जन-संकीर्णा: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक) + संकीर्ण (कृदन्त; √कॄ/किर्?; here adjectival past participle sense 'mixed/filled')
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जनैः/जनस्य संकीर्णा—'crowded with people')

• नाना-रत्न-उपशोभिता: adorned with various jewels
• नाना-रत्न-उपशोभिता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-विशेषण) + रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + उपशोभित (कृदन्त; √शुभ्/शोभ् with उप-; past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (नानारत्नैः उपशोभिता—'adorned by various jewels')

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Samjna/Predicate nominative (संज्ञा/विशेष्य-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• विख्याता: renowned/known
• विख्याता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-ख्यात (कृदन्त; √ख्या 'to be known'; past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• गङ्गा-तीरम्: the bank of the Ganges
• गङ्गा-तीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः तीरम्)

• उपाश्रिता: situated on/resorting to
• उपाश्रिता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-आश्रित (कृदन्त; √श्रि 'to resort'; past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; (गङ्गातीरम्) उपाश्रिता—'having resorted to/located on'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) / Gaṅgā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A jewel-bright, crowded sacred city on the Gaṅgā’s bank; stepped ghāṭas, boats, pilgrims, and distant temple spires under a luminous sky.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A kṣetra’s outer splendor is presented as a reflection of its inner sanctity—Vārāṇasī is set apart as a famed sacred city on the Gaṅgā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), specifically its Gaṅgā riverbank setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse provides kṣetra-varṇana (sacred place description) that commonly supports later instructions like snāna and dāna.