Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पूर्वजन्मांतराभ्यास वासनावशतो हरे । गंगातीरे निवासः स्यान्मदनुग्रहतः परात्

Transliteration

pūrvajanmāṃtarābhyāsa vāsanāvaśato hare | gaṃgātīre nivāsaḥ syānmadanugrahataḥ parāt

Translation

اے ہری! پچھلے جنموں کے مسلسل ابھ्यास سے بنی ہوئی وासनاؤں کے زور سے، اور میری اعلیٰ ترین عنایت سے، انسان کو گنگا کے کنارے سکونت نصیب ہوتی ہے۔

Word by Word

• पूर्वजन्मान्तराभ्यास: practice from previous births
• पूर्वजन्मान्तराभ्यास: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + जन्म + अन्तर + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (पूर्वेषु जन्मान्तरिषु अभ्यासः)

• वासनावशतः: due to the force of latent impressions
• वासनावशतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासना + वश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतौ पञ्चमी (ablative of cause): "due to the sway of impressions"; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वासनायाः वशः)

• हरे: O Hari
• हरे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• गङ्गातीरे: on the bank of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गातीरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + तीर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरणे सप्तमी; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः तीरम्)

• निवासः: dwelling, residence
• निवासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• स्यात्: may be / would occur
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; समासपूर्वपद (in mad-anugraha)

• अनुग्रहतः: from (my) grace
• अनुग्रहतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतौ पञ्चमी (ablative of cause)

• परात्: from the Supreme / from beyond
• परात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; विशेषणवत् — "from the Supreme" / "from beyond"

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra-vāsa

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Hari (addressed) / broader audience in the dialogue frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arriving at Gaṅgā’s steps at dawn, feeling an inexplicable pull from past-life impressions; a subtle divine presence (Skanda/Īśvara’s grace) shown as a protective aura guiding the pilgrim to settle by the river.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Living near Gaṅgā is portrayed as a fruit of past-life spiritual tendencies and divine grace, not mere chance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā riverbank (gaṅgātīra), especially within the Kāśī sacred sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The emphasis is on gaṅgātīra-nivāsa (dwelling near Gaṅgā) as a spiritually potent discipline supported by grace.