Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

धर्मकूपे नरः स्नात्वा परितर्प्य पितामहान् । गयां गत्वा किमधिकं कर्ता पितृमुदावहम्

Transliteration

dharmakūpe naraḥ snātvā paritarpya pitāmahān | gayāṃ gatvā kimadhikaṃ kartā pitṛmudāvaham

Translation

إذا اغتسل المرء في دارما-كوبا وأرضى الأسلاف على الوجه اللائق، فأيُّ نفعٍ أعظم للـ«بتْرِ» (pitṛ) يناله بالذهاب إلى غايا؟

Word by Word

• धर्मकूपे: at Dharmakūpa
• धर्मकूपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + kūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• परितर्प्य: having satisfied (offered libations to)
• परितर्प्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-tṛp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• पितामहान्: the grandfathers/ancestors
• पितामहान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• गयां: Gayā
• गयां: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• अधिकं: more/additional
• अधिकं: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• कर्ता: (would) do/performer
• कर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक; agent noun from √kṛ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पितृम्: for the ancestor/father (pitṛ)
• पितृम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उदावहम्: should carry/bring forth (benefit)
• उदावहम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-ā-vah (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्/लोट्-अर्थे (Optative/imperative sense), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-kūpa (Kāśī)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at a sanctified well (Dharma-kūpa) and offers tarpaṇa; a distant, faint silhouette of Gayā’s landscape appears as a ‘no need to go farther’ contrast; forefathers appear satisfied above.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma-kūpa
• Gayā
• Pitāmahāḥ (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Dharma-kūpa is exalted as so efficacious for ancestor rites that it rivals the celebrated Gayā tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharma-kūpa (Kāśī), explicitly compared with Gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Dharma-kūpa followed by paritarpaṇa (satiating ancestors through offerings).