Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

स्कंदागस्त्योश्च संवादो मणिकर्ण्याः समुद्भवः । ततस्तु गंगामाहात्म्यं ततो दशहरास्तवः

Transliteration

skaṃdāgastyośca saṃvādo maṇikarṇyāḥ samudbhavaḥ | tatastu gaṃgāmāhātmyaṃ tato daśaharāstavaḥ

Translation

پھر اسکند اور اگستیہ کا مکالمہ آتا ہے؛ منیکرنی کے ظہور کا بیان؛ اس کے بعد گنگا کی مہاتمیا، اور پھر دشہرا کے ستوتی ستو۔

Word by Word

• स्कन्दागस्त्योः: of Skanda and Agastya
• स्कन्दागस्त्योः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (स्कन्दश्च अगस्त्यश्च)

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

• संवादः: dialogue; conversation
• संवादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मणिकर्ण्याः: of Maṇikarṇī
• मणिकर्ण्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• समुद्भवः: origin; arising
• समुद्भवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; सम्-उद्-√भू (धातु) + घञ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाव/कर्तृवाचक

• ततः: thereafter; from that
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) स्थान/क्रमवाचक: 'thereafter/from that'

• तु: but; then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• गङ्गामाहात्म्यम्: the greatness/glory of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गामाहात्म्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गामाहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) = गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः माहात्म्यम्)

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) क्रमवाचक

• दशहरास्तवः: hymns of the Daśaharā (festival)
• दशहरास्तवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशहरास्तव (प्रातिपदिक) = दशहरा (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/सम्बन्ध (दशहरायाः स्तवाः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogic setting)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā (Kāśī) / Gaṅgā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A textual ‘table of contents’ verse visualized as a sequence: Skanda conversing with Agastya; emergence/origin of Maṇikarṇikā; Gaṅgā’s greatness; and devotees singing Daśaharā hymns on the riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Maṇikarṇī
• Gaṅgā
• Daśaharā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is taught through narrative: knowing origins of tīrthas and praising Gaṅgā is framed as dharmic, merit-giving knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇī (within Kāśī’s sacred landscape) and the Gaṅgā as the central river-tīrtha of Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daśaharā stava indicates devotional praise associated with the Daśaharā observance/festival, commonly linked with Gaṅgā worship.