Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

सरस्वती रजो रूपा तमोरूपा कलिंदजा । सत्त्वरूपा च गंगात्र नयंति ब्रह्मनिर्गुणम्

Transliteration

sarasvatī rajo rūpā tamorūpā kaliṃdajā | sattvarūpā ca gaṃgātra nayaṃti brahmanirguṇam

Translation

ที่นี่สรัสวตีมีสภาวะแห่งรชัส กาลินทชา (ยมุนา) มีสภาวะแห่งตมัส และคงคามีสภาวะแห่งสัตตวะ ทั้งสามร่วมกันนำไปสู่พรหมันผู้ไร้คุณลักษณะ (นิรคุณะ)

Word by Word

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• रजः-रूपा: having the form of rajas
• रजः-रूपा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रजस् (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सरस्वती इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्; रजसः रूपा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तमः-रूपा: having the form of tamas
• तमः-रूपा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (कलिन्दजा इति) विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्; तमसः रूपा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• कलिन्दजा: Kaliṇdajā (Yamunā)
• कलिन्दजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलिन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + जा (जन् धातु, क्तिन्/टाप्-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘born’; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कलिन्दात् जाता/कलिन्दस्य जा (सम्बन्धे) इति; प्रचलित-नाम (यमुना)

• सत्त्व-रूपा: having the form of sattva
• सत्त्व-रूपा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गङ्गा इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्; सत्त्वस्य रूपा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• त्र: here (in this place)
• त्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: ‘here/there’); अत्र इत्यर्थे

• नयन्ति: lead
• नयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; वर्तमानकाल

• ब्रह्म-निर्गुणम्: the attributeless Brahman
• ब्रह्म-निर्गुणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म; ब्रह्म एव निर्गुणम् इति कर्मधारय

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Triveṇī-saṅgama (Prayāga)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three river-goddesses meet: Sarasvatī tinted with dynamic red (rajas), Yamunā with deep indigo/black (tamas), Gaṅgā with luminous white/gold (sattva); above them shines a formless, radiant expanse signifying nirguṇa Brahman.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Yamunā (Kaliṃdajā)
• Gaṅgā
• Brahman
• Prayāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The confluence is presented as a spiritual synthesis: transcending the guṇas through the sacred rivers leads toward nirguṇa realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga’s Triveṇī Saṅgama (Gaṅgā–Yamunā–Sarasvatī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, saṅgama-snāna (bathing at the confluence) as a means toward purification and liberation.