Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

तूलशैलः स्फुलिंगेन यथा नश्यति तत्क्षणात् । तथा दोषाः प्रणश्यंति गंगांभः स्पर्शनाद्ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

tūlaśailaḥ sphuliṃgena yathā naśyati tatkṣaṇāt | tathā doṣāḥ praṇaśyaṃti gaṃgāṃbhaḥ sparśanāddhruvam

Translation

Wie ein Berg aus Baumwolle durch einen bloßen Funken augenblicklich verzehrt wird, so vergehen Fehler und Unreinheiten gewiss durch die Berührung mit dem Wasser der Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• तूलशैलः: a mountain of cotton
• तूलशैलः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तूल (प्रातिपदिक) + शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तूलस्य शैलः)

• स्फुलिङ्गेन: by a spark
• स्फुलिङ्गेन: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्फुलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलना-वाचक (comparative particle: “as/just as”)

• नश्यति: perishes
• नश्यति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्क्षणात्: instantly
• तत्क्षणात्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival sense: “from that moment/instantly”)

• तथा: so
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तुलनार्थक (correlative: “so/thus”)

• दोषाः: faults/sins
• दोषाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• प्रणश्यन्ति: are completely destroyed
• प्रणश्यन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• गङ्गाम्भः: the water of the Ganga
• गङ्गाम्भः: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः अम्भः)

• स्पर्शनात्: from (its) touch; by touching
• स्पर्शनात्: Apadana (अपादान/Cause-source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (certainty adverb: “surely/indeed”)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (typically sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghat touches Gaṅgā water; beside him a symbolic ‘cotton mountain’ ignites from a tiny spark, illustrating instant destruction of impurities.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even minimal contact with Gaṅgā-jala is praised as powerfully transformative, destroying inner and outer impurities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā at Kāśī—specifically her waters (gaṅgāmbhas) as a purifying tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sparśa (touching) of Gaṅgā water—commonly via snāna, ācamana, or sprinkling—is indicated as efficacious.