Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

घंटाकर्णह्रदे स्नात्वा दृष्ट्वा व्यासेश्वरं नरः । यत्रकुत्र मृतो वापि वाराणस्यां मृतो भवेत्

Transliteration

ghaṃṭākarṇahrade snātvā dṛṣṭvā vyāseśvaraṃ naraḥ | yatrakutra mṛto vāpi vārāṇasyāṃ mṛto bhavet

Translation

ਘੰਟਾਕਰਣ ਹ੍ਰਦ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਨਾਨ ਕਰ ਕੇ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਆਸੇਸ਼ਵਰ ਦੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰ ਕੇ, ਮਨੁੱਖ ਫਿਰ ਜਿੱਥੇ ਕਿਤੇ ਵੀ ਮਰੇ—ਉਹ ਵਾਰਾਣਸੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਮਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਦੇ ਸਮਾਨ ਫਲ ਪਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• घण्टाकर्णह्रदे: in the lake of Ghaṇṭākarṇa
• घण्टाकर्णह्रदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घण्टाकर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (घण्टाकर्णस्य ह्रदः)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having bathed)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• व्यासेश्वरम्: Vyāseśvara (Lord Vyāsa)
• व्यासेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (व्यासस्य ईश्वरः)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यत्रकुत्र: wherever
• यत्रकुत्र: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र + कुत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: anywhere/wherever)

• मृतः: dead (having died)
• मृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √मृ धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वा: or/even if
• वा: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: or/even if)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मृतः: dead (having died)
• मृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √मृ धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become/is deemed to be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ghaṇṭākarṇa-hrada (with Vyāseśvara-darśana)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrim bathing in a sacred lake named Ghaṇṭākarṇa, water rippling with morning light; then walking with wet garments and folded hands to a nearby Vyāseśvara liṅga shrine for darśana, suggesting a destiny-shifting blessing.

Characters & Entities

• Ghaṇṭākarṇa Hrada
• Vyāseśvara
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s grace can be ‘carried’ through tīrtha-snān and darśana, granting the famed merit associated with death in Vārāṇasī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ghaṇṭākarṇa Hrada and the Vyāseśvara shrine in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Ghaṇṭākarṇa Hrada followed by Vyāseśvara-darśana.