Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

चांद्रायणसहस्रं तु यः कुर्याद्देहशोधनम् । गंगामृतं पिबेद्यस्तु तयोर्गंगाबुपोऽधिकः

Transliteration

cāṃdrāyaṇasahasraṃ tu yaḥ kuryāddehaśodhanam | gaṃgāmṛtaṃ pibedyastu tayorgaṃgābupo'dhikaḥ

Translation

যি হাজাৰ চাঁদ্ৰায়ণ ব্ৰত কৰি দেহ শোধন কৰে, সি দেহশুদ্ধি পায়; কিন্তু যি গঙ্গাৰ অমৃতসম জল পান কৰে, তাক সেই দুয়োটাতকৈও অধিক পুণ্যবান বুলি ঘোষণা কৰা হৈছে।

Word by Word

• चांद्रायणसहस्रम्: a thousand Cāndrāyaṇa vows
• चांद्रायणसहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चांद्रायण + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: चांद्रायणानां सहस्रम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुवादक (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (No) — तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देहशोधनम्: purification of the body
• देहशोधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह + शोधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: देहस्य शोधनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (कुर्यात् इत्यस्य कर्म)

• गंगामृतम्: Ganga-water as nectar
• गंगामृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: गङ्गा एव अमृतम्/गङ्गायाः अमृततुल्यम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पिबेत्: should drink
• पिबेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; बलार्थक/अनुवादक (particle)

• तयोः: of the two (acts)
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• गंगाम्बुपः: (the act/person of) drinking Ganga-water
• गंगाम्बुपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + अम्बुप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: गङ्गायाः अम्बु (water); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अधिकः: superior
• अधिकः: Pradhana-visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-jala (amṛta)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Hara (Śiva) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs Cāndrāyaṇa austerity in the background (moon phases), contrasted with a simple act of sipping Gaṅgā-water that radiates nectar-like light.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Cāndrāyaṇa (vrata)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace mediated through Gaṅgā is exalted above even severe penances, emphasizing tīrtha’s salvific power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā-tīrtha, with Kāśī as the implied sacred setting of the discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cāndrāyaṇa (a lunar-cycle vow) is referenced; drinking Gaṅgā-water (gaṅgā-pāna) is praised as even more meritorious.