Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तदा प्रभृति तत्तीर्थं धर्मांधुरिति विश्रुतम् । ब्रह्महत्यादि पापानामक्लेशं क्षालनं परम्

Transliteration

tadā prabhṛti tattīrthaṃ dharmāṃdhuriti viśrutam | brahmahatyādi pāpānāmakleśaṃ kṣālanaṃ param

Translation

ومنذ ذلك الحين اشتهر ذلك التيرثا باسم «دهرماندهو» (Dharmāṃdhu). وهو المطهِّر الأسمى الذي يمحو، بلا عناء، خطايا مثل «براهمهاتيا» (brahmahatyā) وما شابهها.

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: “then”)

• प्रभृति: from (that time)
• प्रभृति: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रभृति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भार्थक (from, starting from)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. sg.)

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage-place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. sg.)

• धर्मांधुः: (named) Dharmāndhu
• धर्मांधुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + अन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य अन्धुः)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इत्यादि-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• विश्रुतम्: renowned
• विश्रुतम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु) → विश्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. sg.); “renowned/known”

• ब्रह्महत्यादि: such as brahmahatyā
• ब्रह्महत्यादि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (आदि-समास; “beginning with brahmahatyā”); अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः (indeclinable-like as a compound qualifier)

• पापानाम्: of sins
• पापानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (neuter gen. pl.)

• अक्लेशम्: without hardship
• अक्लेशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + क्लेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. sg.)

• क्षालनम्: washing away
• क्षालनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षल् (धातु) → क्षालन (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाववाचक-नाम (ल्युट्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. sg.)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. sg.)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāṃdhu

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim descends stone steps into the Gaṅgā at a Kāśī ford named Dharmāṃdhu; the water is shown as luminous, washing away dark, smoke-like ‘sins’ that dissolve without struggle; priests hold lotuses and waterpots; distant spires of Kāśī temples silhouette the dawn.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāṃdhu (tīrtha)
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas are portrayed as exceptionally compassionate: sincere contact with them purifies even heavy karmic burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāṃdhu, a famed tīrtha in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Purificatory bathing/approach to the tīrtha (implied as the means of ‘washing away’ sins).