Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

कपालमोचनं नाम तत्र स्नातोऽश्वमेधभाक् । ऋणमोचनतीर्थं तु तदुदग्दिशि शोभनम्

Transliteration

kapālamocanaṃ nāma tatra snāto'śvamedhabhāk | ṛṇamocanatīrthaṃ tu tadudagdiśi śobhanam

Translation

يُسمّى ذلك الموضع «كَبَالَمُوتشَنَ»؛ فمن اغتسل فيه نال ثمرة قربان الأشفاميدها. وإلى شماله «رِنَمُوتشَنَ تيرثا» البهيّ، وهو المَعبر المقدّس الذي يحرّر من الديون.

Word by Word

• कपालमोचनम्: Kapālamocana (name of a tīrtha)
• कपालमोचनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपाल + मोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तीर्थनाम

• नाम: named
• नाम: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नामार्थक-अव्यय (particle: named/called)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• स्नातः: (one) having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘having bathed’

• अश्वमेधभाक्: partaker of the Aśvamedha (merit)
• अश्वमेधभाक्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्वमेध + भाज् (धातु; भाक् = कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक ‘भागिन्’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; ‘अश्वमेधस्य भागी’

• ऋणमोचनतीर्थम्: Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha (debt-removing ford)
• ऋणमोचनतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण + मोचन + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘ऋणमोचनं तीर्थम्’

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेष/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• तत्: in that
• तत्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिशि)

• उदग्दिशि: in the northern direction
• उदग्दिशि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक्/उदग् + दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘उदग्-दिशि’ (northern direction)

• शोभनम्: beautiful/auspicious
• शोभनम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तीर्थस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapālamocana; Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a small sacred water-spot labeled Kapālamocana, a pilgrim bathes while holding a water-pot; nearby stands Kapāleśa shrine. To the north, another water-spot is indicated as Ṛṇamocana, with offerings of sesame and water for tarpaṇa; a faint horse-sacrifice emblem appears as symbolic Aśvamedha-phala.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Kapālamocana
• Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha
• Aśvamedha
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s tīrthas are celebrated as extraordinary: a single sacred bath can equal great Vedic sacrifices and relieve burdens like debt.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapālamocana tīrtha and the nearby Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha to its north.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Kapālamocana; the verse also guides pilgrims to Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha for further tīrtha-sevā.