Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

अष्टकृत्वो मंत्रजप्तैर्वस्त्रपूतैः सुगंधिभिः । प्रोचुर्गांगजलैः स्नानं घृतस्नानाधिकं बुधाः

Transliteration

aṣṭakṛtvo maṃtrajaptairvastrapūtaiḥ sugaṃdhibhiḥ | procurgāṃgajalaiḥ snānaṃ ghṛtasnānādhikaṃ budhāḥ

Translation

Die Weisen haben verkündet: Das Bad mit Wasser der Gaṅgā—achtmal geschöpft, durch Mantra-Japa geheiligt, durch Tuch gefiltert und wohlriechend—ist sogar einem Bad in Ghee überlegen.

Word by Word

• अष्टकृत्वः: eight times
• अष्टकृत्वः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्वस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव (अष्टवारम्); क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of frequency)

• मन्त्र-जप्तैः: with (waters) over which mantras were recited
• मन्त्र-जप्तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + जप्त (कृदन्त; जप् धातोः क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (मन्त्रेण जप्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying waters)

• वस्त्र-पूतैः: cloth-filtered/purified
• वस्त्र-पूतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पूत (कृदन्त; पू धातोः क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (वस्त्रेण पूत); तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सुगन्धिभिः: fragrant
• सुगन्धिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुगन्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• प्रोचुः: declared/said
• प्रोचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• गाङ्ग-जलैः: with Gaṅgā waters
• गाङ्ग-जलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (गाङ्गं जलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• घृत-स्नान-अधिकम्: superior to ghee-bath
• घृत-स्नान-अधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (घृतस्नानात् अधिकम्/घृतस्नानस्य अधिकम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

• बुधाः: the wise (sages)
• बुधाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-jala (ritual snāna)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee prepares Gaṅgā water: pours it through a white cloth into a vessel, adds sandal fragrance, chants mantras, then performs eightfold sprinkling/bathing; nearby, a small lamp and flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā water is exalted as uniquely sanctifying; when used with mantra and purity, it surpasses even luxurious ritual substitutes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā as tīrtha, whose water is treated as the highest ritual medium.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing using Gaṅgā water prepared as mantra-japtam, cloth-filtered (vastrapūta), fragrant, and applied eight times (aṣṭakṛtvaḥ).