Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

कर्णवेणा महादेवी चंद्रभागा सरस्वती । गंगासागरसंभेदस्तथा वाराणसी शुभा

Transliteration

karṇaveṇā mahādevī caṃdrabhāgā sarasvatī | gaṃgāsāgarasaṃbhedastathā vārāṇasī śubhā

Translation

Karṇaveṇā, Mahādevī, Caṃdrabhāgā dan Sarasvatī; juga pertemuan suci tempat Gaṅgā bertemu lautan, serta Vārāṇasī yang membawa keberkatan.

Word by Word

• कर्णवेणा: Karṇaveṇā (river)
• कर्णवेणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्णवेणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• महादेवी: Mahādevī
• महादेवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: महा + देवी; नाम (नदी/देवी)

• चंद्रभागा: Candrabāgā (river)
• चंद्रभागा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रभागा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• गंगासागरसंभेदः: the Gaṅgā–ocean confluence
• गंगासागरसंभेदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/समाहार-भाव: गङ्गा-सागर-सम्भेदः = गङ्गायाः सागरे सम्भेदः (confluence/meeting)

• तथा: also; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थे (conjunctive ‘also/likewise’)

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

• शुभा: auspicious
• शुभा: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies वाराणसी)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-sāgara-saṃbheda; Vārāṇasī; Sarasvatī; Caṃdrabhāgā; Karṇaveṇā; Mahādevī

Type: sangam/ghat/river/kshetra (mixed list)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A flowing river-montage: Chenab-like broad river for Caṃdrabhāgā, a mystical disappearing Sarasvatī, the dramatic Gaṅgā meeting the ocean at Sāgara with pilgrims, and the skyline of Vārāṇasī ghats; two additional sacred streams labeled Karṇaveṇā and Mahādevī.

Characters & Entities

• Karṇaveṇā
• Mahādevī
• Caṃdrabhāgā
• Sarasvatī
• Gaṅgāsāgara
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Major rivers, confluences, and holy cities are presented as powerful tīrthas within a unified sacred landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgāsāgara (Gaṅgā–ocean meeting) and Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) are explicitly highlighted alongside several river-tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not explicit in this verse; traditionally these sites are associated with snāna, tarpaṇa, and pilgrimage darśana.