Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

नाम्नां सहस्रगंगायाः स्तवराजेषुशो भनम् । जप्यानां परमं जप्यं वेदोपनिषदासमम्

Transliteration

nāmnāṃ sahasragaṃgāyāḥ stavarājeṣuśo bhanam | japyānāṃ paramaṃ japyaṃ vedopaniṣadāsamam

Translation

‘گنگا کے ہزار نام’ ستوتیوں کے بادشاہوں میں نہایت درخشاں ہے۔ تمام جپوں میں یہ سب سے اعلیٰ جپ ہے—ویدوں اور اوپنشدوں کے ہم مرتبہ۔

Word by Word

• नाम्नाम्: of (the) names
• नाम्नाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘of names’

• सहस्रगंगायाः: of Sahasragangā (the Thousand-Gaṅgā)
• सहस्रगंगायाः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र-गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + गङ्गा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘सहस्रा गङ्गा’/‘सहस्रनाम्नी गङ्गा’)

• स्तवराजेषु: among hymn-kings (chief hymns)
• स्तवराजेषु: अधिकरण (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तव-राज (प्रातिपदिक; स्तव + राज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘स्तवानां राजा’)

• शोभनम्: beautiful; excellent
• शोभनम्: विधेय (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• जप्यानाम्: of recitations
• जप्यानाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप्य (प्रातिपदिक/कृत्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘of things to be recited’

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• जप्यम्: the (best) thing to be recited
• जप्यम्: विधेय (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप् (धातु) + यत्/ण्यत् (कृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कृत्य (gerundive: ‘that which should be recited’)

• वेदोपनिषदासमम्: equal to the Vedas and Upaniṣads
• वेदोपनिषदासमम्: विधेय (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद-उपनिषद्-सम (प्रातिपदिक; वेद + उपनिषद् + सम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वेदोपनिषद्भ्यां समम्)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-sahasranāma (Kāśī usage)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages / devotees seeking the best japa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A manuscript or scroll titled ‘Gaṅgā-sahasranāma’ placed on a clean altar by the river; above it, faint imagery of Vedic sages and Upaniṣadic fire-symbols, indicating ‘veda-upaniṣad-samāna’; Gaṅgā’s waters shimmer like sacred syllables.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Vedas
• Upaniṣads

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional speech (stotra/japa) is elevated to scriptural sanctity when centered on Gaṅgā’s divine names.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā as a living tīrtha; the praise supports Kāśī’s Gaṅgā-centered worship culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chanting (japa) of Gaṅgā’s Sahasranāma is recommended as the supreme recitation.