Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मलोकस्तु लोकानां सर्वेषामुत्तमो यथा । सरितां सरसां वापि वरिष्ठा जाह्नवी तथा

Transliteration

brahmalokastu lokānāṃ sarveṣāmuttamo yathā | saritāṃ sarasāṃ vāpi variṣṭhā jāhnavī tathā

Translation

यथा लोकानां सर्वेषां मध्ये ब्रह्मलोक उत्तमः, तथा सरितां सरसां च मध्ये जाह्नवी गङ्गा वरिष्ठा श्रेष्ठा च।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मलोकः: Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणः लोकः); Nominative singular

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/contrastive particle)

• लोकानाम्: of the worlds
• लोकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; Genitive plural

• उत्तमः: the best/supreme
• उत्तमः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (superlative sense)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Connector (Upamana marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/उदाहरणार्थक (comparative ‘as/just as’)

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• सरसाम्: of lakes
• सरसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive ‘or’)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Discourse particle (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• वरिष्ठा: the most excellent
• वरिष्ठा: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; superlative; Nominative singular

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• तथा: likewise/so
• तथा: Connector (अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तथार्थक (so/likewise)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Brahmaloka above with Brahmā enthroned; below, Gaṅgā as a luminous river-goddess crowned, flowing past ghats—visualizing the analogy of highest realm and highest river.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmaloka
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Among sacred waters, the Gaṅgā is presented as pre-eminent—worthy of highest reverence and reliance for purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jāhnavī/Gaṅgā as the foremost tīrtha-water, within the Kāśī sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes hierarchy and supremacy for devotional focus.